Thieves smash in to bakery to steal £29

Thieves smashed their way into a bakery causing major damaging before escaping with just £29.

Catling Bakery in Cramlington, Northumberland, was broken into during the early hours of Thursday morning by thieves who damaged the till and stole the petty cash inside.

Owner Jonny Catling said, although only a small amount of cash was taken, the burglars caused more than £1,000 worth of damage.

"It's caused a lot of disruption and a lot of mess, just for the sake of a little bit of money," he said.

The repairs will be paid for through insurance, but the business still had to pay a £250 excess and was told its premiums would go up next year.

It also lost stock and a day's worth of sales while the damage was cleared up.

"The area they chose to [break in to] is the most disruptive to the business because it's where our serving area is," Catling said.

"The glass was literally everywhere and so we couldn't trade until it was boarded up."

The company, which only opened its doors on Front Street in October, is now planning to purchase external CCTV cameras in addition to its existing ones inside the shop, which will cost about £1,000.

Northumbria Police said the thieves entered the shop by throwing a brick through the window.

The force has appealed to the public for information.

Catling said many retail businesses are struggling to deal with a rise in shoplifters and he hoped the break-in would raise awareness and spur politicians to help tackle crime.

"The people higher up, the MPs, need to know these things are happening and how it does affect the business," he said.

"You don't expect these things to happen and we don't want it to happen again."

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