The owners of a popular Hornby dairy are still counting the cost of a ram raid first reported by chrislynchmedia.com.

They have now released CCTV footage of the early Wednesday morning attack, showing the extraordinary lengths offenders went to in an effort to steal cigarettes.

A family member of the store, who did not wish to be identified, said they were shocked and angry by what happened.

The footage begins at around 2.45am, showing the offenders attempting to force their way through the security grille using their hands and kicking at the door.

They appeared to arrive in a single vehicle, but left empty handed after failing to gain entry. It’s believed they then stole a second vehicle before returning about 18 minutes later.

At around 3am, the group returned with two vehicles, using one to ram straight into the store.

Police believe the offenders also used an angle grinder to cut the lock on the shop’s cigarette cabinet.

CCTV shows the break in took several minutes, with the offenders at one point appearing to hesitate and consider leaving before continuing.

They stole cigarettes worth only a few hundred dollars, leaving behind thousands of dollars in damage.

The group fled in a second vehicle, while the car used to force entry was abandoned inside the dairy and later had to be winched out.

The dairy has served the Hornby community for more than 50 years, and the family says this is the first incident of its kind.

Police have since arrested one offender, a 17 year old, while two others remain outstanding.