An Arsenal-themed pie shop near the Emirates Stadium was targeted in an audacious "Hatton Garden-style" raid before burglars then flooded the building in a "destruction rampage".

Thieves broke into Piebury Corner, which sells pies named after Arsenal greats, before cutting a 12-inch hole through an office door and squeezing through the gap to grab cash and a charity box.

After swiping money, owner Nicky Campbell said the burglars deliberately flooded the shop, sending water cascading down the stairs and opening up a large hole in the ground-floor ceiling.

She said: “They took all the cash in the shop and decided to go on a bit of a destruction rampage.

“They stuffed the sinks full of paper, turned all the taps on and left them running overnight.

“The ceiling caved in through the pressure of the water.”

The shop, which sells hungry Gunners fans baked treats with names like the Dennis Bergkamp and the Aaron Lambsey, was hit by up to £7,000 in damage and lost takings during the raid last Thursday night.

Staff only discovered what had happened when they turned up to open as usual on Friday morning and were shocked by the size of the hole in the door – reminding them of the hole through which raiders accessed vaults in the £14m Hatton Garden heist.

Co-owner Paul Campbell, who does not know if any pies were stolen in the raid, said: “It’s like something from back in the Victorian days. They must have taken a kid along with them.”

He added: “We’re a pie shop and we’ve been robbed by the skinniest burglars on the planet. How do you get through a 12-inch wide hole?

“It’s like that Hatton Garden heist. How did they get through?

“You’d need to be Houdini to get through that hole.”

Since the business published news of the theft on its Twitter account, some customers have branded it a “mash and grab raid”, joking the intruders could have been angry Spurs fans, bitter at being beaten to second place in the league last year.

Mrs Campbell said: “You’ve got to laugh otherwise you cry.

“People would like to say it’s Spurs fans but I don’t think so. It’s probably vandals on a rampage really.”

The shop is in the process of being cleared up after the damage and is expected to re-open today.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed they were aware of the raid.