More than 600 high-value artefacts were stolen from a building in Bristol where items from a museum collection were being stored, UK police said on Thursday.

Avon and Somerset police have launched an appeal for information about four men captured on CCTV images on September 25 outside the building housing items from Bristol Museum's collection on the British Empire and Commonwealth.

"The theft of many items which carry a significant cultural value is a significant loss for the city," said Dan Burgan, an officer investigating the case.

The burglary had not previously been publicised.

The theft follows a robbery at Paris's Louvre museum in October, which exposed major security lapses at the world's most visited museum. (AFP, Reuters)