Thieves stole three hot tubs worth £28,000 from a pool and spa company.

The offenders used the firm's own trailer to take the tubs away following the theft on Wednesday night.

Peter Burkitt, managing director of Home Counties Pools, Spas and Leisure in Brighton Road, Horsham, said he was shocked by the theft.

He said: "They must have needed about four people to carry them. I would never have thought anybody would lift hot tubs.

"I think they'll probably have difficulty shifting them as well, unless they've been stolen to order.

"We didn't notice they were gone at first. My partner came in on Thursday morning and saw a tub was missing but he was away on Wednesday so he assumed we'd sold one the day before."

The thieves broke into Home Counties by cutting a hole in the security fence of Hilliers Garden Centre, where the company is based.

To escape with the tubs, they had to drive through the hole and down a small embankment on to the A281.

Mr Burkitt said: "I'm surprised nobody saw them. We will be reviewing our security arrangements after this and keeping all the tubs in the showroom.

"We usually bring them in for winter anyway so we'll just do it a bit earlier than usual."

The company has only been broken into once before in the past 18 years.

Mr Burkitt said the firm usually kept about 11 hot tubs out on show.

The thieves also got into two other companies based in the garden centre, breaking into several vehicles in a Timberworld shop and stealing diesel fuel from a garden equipment store.

The three tubs they stole were a Jacuzzi J385CD worth £12,000, a Jacuzzi J230 worth £6,000 and a Beachcomber 730 model worth £10,000. They are all about 2m wide and 1.5m high.

The stolen trailer is an Ifor Williams 4 x 4 flatbed worth about £1,200.

PC Amy Graves, of Sussex Police, said: "It's the first time in five years as a police officer that I've dealt with anyone stealing hot tubs.

"Hilliers has been broken into before but only gardening goods were taken that time.

"We don't know if this was a planned operation or opportunism but it would have taken a few of them to do it."

Anyone who saw anything or is offered the hot tubs for sale should call 0845 6070999 and ask for PC Graves at Horsham police station.