Preston's Top Cafe ransacked by thieves who stole cash and 80lbs of sausage and bacon

Helen Ball, owner of Top Cafe in Ribbleton Road, was heartbroken when she found her business trashed and looted on Saturday (November 6).

Equipped with power tools, thieves prised open the back door in the early hours of the morning, stealing the till and the entire meat supply from the fridge and freezer.

Around 80lbs of sausage was taken, as well as 10 packs of bacon, said Helen.

They also snatched the till and a tray of cash, which included donations from customers for the Poppy Appeal.

As well as stealing the cafe's food and money, thieves also trashed the kitchen, throwing food around and emptying the outside rubbish bins over the cafe floor.

The damaged till was later found emptied of its cash and dumped on wasteland near a row of shops in Holme Slack on Sunday.

Unable to restock until after the weekend and with a deep clean and repairs needed, Helen had no choice but to keep Top Cafe closed on Saturday and Sunday.

After looting the cafe of its meat supply, the thieves then left the fridge and freezer doors open overnight, leaving food to defrost and spoil.

"I can’t believe it," said Helen. "If they had just robbed the place, I could understand. They've done it twice before. But to do what they have done this time is disgusting.

"They'd thrown food all over the place and dragged the bins from outside into the kitchen and emptied rubbish everywhere.

"I think that’s why it’s hit us so hard this time, because it was done so nastily. It was obviously done maliciously.

"It’s absolutely devastating and any help in trying to find them would be appreciated."

The cafe does not have CCTV and Helen is appealing to neighbouring homes and businesses to check their security cameras for any helpful footage.

She said police have visited the cafe and have taken prints, with the dirty footprint of a size eight work boot found stamped into flyers on the cafe floor.

A police spokesman said: "It was reported that someone had gained access to the café sometime between 1.30pm on November 5 and 8am on November 6 and had taken food items and money.

"No arrests have been made but enquiries are ongoing.

"Anybody with information can call 101, quoting log 399 of November 6."

Top Cafe reopened on Monday (November 8) after Helen and her team were able to restock and clean up the mess and damage.

The damaged back door, which had been forced open using an angle grinder, is being replaced by Helen's landlord and the cafe is planning to install CCTV.

Helen added: "The landlord of the property has been fantastic and is putting in a new door, but we are hoping to save for CCTV as this has happened three times now.

"We also have issues with antisocial behaviour and fly tipping at the rear of the cafe, so something needs to be done.

"It’s heartbreaking when we are all trying so hard to keep going and make the cafe a safe happy place to be, but as always we will bounce back and this is because we know all our customers are rooting for us.

"We've had so many wonderful messages and offers of help, it just melts me to know that for every bad person out their, they are outweighed by the good.

"We even had one lady and her children bring a homemade card and some treats to the cafe for our staff. We're lucky to have such lovely customers and neighbours here."

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