Two seafront food businesses on Ventnor’s Esplanade were broken in to and robbed on Monday night, including sponsorship money for a cancer charity.
Ventnor is blessed by break-ins being a very rare event, so to have two happen on the same night, we understand, is unheard of.
It’s thought that the break-ins occurred between 11pm Monday evening and 7am the following morning.
The thieves smashed one of the glass doors at the Ventnor Bay Cafe and left with a small amount of money, made up of the till float for the next day.
At the business next door, The Beach Hut Diner, a grill was removed from a rear window. A considerable amount of cash that had been raised for a cancer charity by the proprietor, Carole Park, at a charity swim at the V-Bay Festival was stolen, as well as a small cash float and bottles of beer from the fridge.
We understand the police were quickly on the scene and were able to get foot and finger prints to help them identify the thieves.
The loss didn’t end at the thefts as the businesses had to close yesterday while the damage from the break-in was repaired.
Chatting to the cafe owners, they are in disbelief that this has happened and are very keen for any residents who might have been near the area on Monday night / Tuesday morning to get in touch with the police.