Comber: Burglars target 'accordion man' in £35,000 theft

Police are appealing anyone who has been offered an accordion for sale in "suspicious circumstances" to contact them

Thieves have targeted 'accordion man' Ken Hopkins in a £35,000 burglary in Comber, County Down.

The accordion collector was also burgled in 2012, when rare instruments worth hundreds of thousands of pounds were taken.

Mr Hopkins has one of the largest accordion collections in the world.

The latest theft was discovered on Friday, but police said it is likely to have been carried out last Sunday, 6 March between 17:00 and 20:00 GMT.

In total eleven accordions were taken.

Mr Hopkins told BBC News NI he did not expect to see them again.

He said the thefts were something "you got used to".

In 2012, some were found covered by a tarpaulin in wasteland in County Meath, but of the 30 stolen, there were rare accordions never recovered.

At the time, Mr Hopkins said the thefts had made it hard to sleep at night.

Police are appealing for witnesses, or anyone who has been offered an accordion for sale in "suspicious circumstances", to contact them.