THOUSANDS of pounds worth of drugs including horse tranquiliser were stolen overnight from a Gwent veterinary practice in what appears to have been a well-planned raid.

Drugs including Ketamine, and Pentobarbitone, which is used in the euthanasia of animals, were taken in the raid as well as 100 pet vaccinations, worth £10,000, were taken from Budget Vets, Abertillery.

The drugs could be dangerous if taken by humans.

The practice’s CCTV cameras were ripped from the walls and also taken, leading to the suspicion that professional criminals were involved.

Practice manager and veterinary nurse Leanne Fieldhouse, said: “We are very concerned about what the perpetrators of this crime are going to do with the drugs including the vaccines which need to be stored at a controlled temperature."

“We intend to have the surgery open today (FRI) offering a limited service, we have contacted clients with appointments today to offer home visits at no additional cost to minimise disruption to them,” she added.

She added that the Ketamine taken was out of date.

The incident is believed to have happened at some point between 6pm on Wednesday, May 25 and 8am on Thursday morning.

Staff from the practice called Gwent Police at 8am, after finding the damage, discovering also that the power had been cut.

The concern of the vets from the practice is that the people behind the burglary do not know what they have and if these drugs were to be sold on the street they could be putting people in danger.

The supplies of Ketamine, which were due to be picked up to be destroyed after the drugs had past their use-by date and could be dangerous if consumed by humans.

The vets added that around 100 pet vaccines were also taken and are classed as dangerous for human consumption.

A quantity of money was stolen from a safe within the practice, along with the vacuum cleaner.

Officer in charge of the case, PC Gareth Hall said: “These drugs can be lethal to humans and we’re warning anyone who comes into contact with these, that if consumed, they could potentially be putting their life in danger.”

If you have any information, contact Gwent Police on 101 immediately, quoting log: 73 26/05/15