'They'd cleaned us out': Dwellingup family business suffers after $45k burglary

WA Timber Products' sawmill manager Sean Hersey said he was "shocked" by the wreckage he was confronted with on May 5, when he arrived at work.

Mr Hersey said a group of offenders had forced entry to the Acacia Road property, stealing a number of items between the hours of 1am and 3am.

"I couldn't even start working, they'd cleaned us out," he said.

"They stole my chainsaws, grinders, drills, ransacked my office and stole a cash tin.

"They smashed our trucks and took all my electronics out of them and took the keys. They took all the unleaded fuel.

"It was absolutely shocking to come to work and find everything gone."

Mr Hersey said this was not the first time the business, which supplies timber products to customers across Western Australia, had been targeted

"It happens at least once or twice a year," he said.

"People say 'Oh get CCTV footage', but we can't afford it. It's about $11,000 - we don't have an endless checkbook."

Mr Hersey said the business was already struggling to stay afloat.

"We'll probably have to shut-up shop," he said.

"We're a small, family business and have been in the Dwellingup area for 40 years.

"We work extremely hard and lose out when something like this happens."

Mr Hersey said the local police had been a "fantastic help" since the break-in by increasing patrols around the mill.

Dwellingup Police Sergeant Dave Harnett said he was calling for information from the public.

"These kinds of offences put a downer on the community," he said.

"It's an unfortunate incident for the owners and the town.

"We are asking for any witnesses to come forward with information, no matter how small."

If you have information, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.