Bedtime bandits: Victorian thieves steal $38,000 in cigarettes

Thieves have used a doona cover to help them steal about $38,000 worth of cigarettes during a spate of burglaries in Melbourne.

Police have released CCTV footage of the three thieves filling the doona cover with cigarettes after breaking into a service station in Tecoma on April 2.

When they discovered their loot was too big to fit into the car they dragged the sack along next to the car as they drove off and lost about a third of their loot.

Police say the men robbed four service stations and one specialty shop, stealing $38,000 worth of goods over about three weeks from March 18 in Melbourne's south-east.