This is the moment a group of thieves break in to a shop and immediately flee at the sight of the drunk owner sleeping off a skinful of booze on a makeshift bed behind the counter.

Remarkably, the CCTV footage also shows the drunk owner lying down to go back to sleep as soon as the gang flees the shop.

The attempted robbery was filmed in the city of Fuzhou in the eastern Chinese province of Fujian on 17th October.

According to the news site Weibo, the owner, name not reported, was drunk at the time of the break-in and had not returned home, instead opting to set up a makeshift bed behind the shop counter for the night.

However, while reportedly sleeping off a heavy night of boozing, three men broke into the store to apparently rob the place.

The gang encountered the alcohol-fuelled owner, who was startled by their break-in, and immediately fled the scene.

Reports said the owner reported the attempted robbery to the police the following day, presumably while nursing a nasty hangover.

In the CCTV footage, the suspects are seen trying to force open the front doors several times.

Meanwhile, the owner is seen sleeping behind the counter on a makeshift bed.

Despite the noise of the gang’s break-in attempts, the drunk owner appears oblivious to the break-in happening just feet away.

The trio eventually breaks open the doors and runs inside the store, finally startling the owner from his slumber.

He sits upright and shouts at the intruders, who spin on their heels and run out of the shop.

The owner then curls up on the bed and apparently goes back to sleep.