New footage of Louvre heist shows guards 'huddled in corner' brandishing queue barrier post

CCTV from the heist shows one of the brazen thieves wearing a hi-viz jacket smashing his way through a glass display with his fist before stealing some of the high-value ornaments.

The video, obtained by France Info, also shows him working together with another suspect to break their way into a second case, where they steal more valuable jewellery before making off from the scene.

Guards in the room appear to be seen to huddle in the corner while hesitating on what to next while holding barrier posts.

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One can be seen to make a telephone call while another grabs a rope stanchion and takes a few steps toward the robbers before changing his mind.

The raid took place in October and saw almost £77 million worth of jewels stolen from the Paris landmark.

The haul included a diamond and emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise, as well as jewels tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense, and Empress Eugenie's pearl and diamond tiara.

The four suspects, residents of the northern suburbs of Paris and of African origin, have been arrested and charged with staging the heist, but the items have never been recovered.

The thieves were in and out after just four minutes, and later told police that the guards threatened them with electric cutting discs.

A helmet left at the scene was linked to one of the men just days after the break-in, with prosecutors revealing two of the men partially admitted their role.

The museum came under pressure in the aftermath after it was revealed the museum's video surveillance system password was simply 'LOURVE', confidential documents allegedly revealed.

In November, structural weaknesses also prompted the partial closure of one of the galleries hosting Greek vases and offices.

It has since moved some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France.

Speaking on Sunday, France's culture minister Rachida Dati said that personnel changes were imminent.

She gave no details, but the museum's director Laurence des Cars has been under fire over failures in the museum’s security.

The suspects are believed to have used a stolen mechanical lift to enter the Galerie d'Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) via a balcony before cracking open display cases and fleeing with the jewels.

Although they managed to escape without being caught, the thieves dropped the Empress Eugenie's crown, left tools behind, and failed to set fire to the lift.

These failures led authorities to describe the gang as petty criminals rather than professional members of an organised crime group.