Vape shop owner devastated after thieves take everything
castle, added: “This is a new business. We only opened nine months ago and I put my life savings into the shop.
“But now I have lost everything, it’s all gone. It’s so, so disheartening, I don’t know what to do.”
The dad-of-two said he made sure the shop was secure before he left on Friday evening, with the front and back doors locked and the shutters pulled down.
But when he arrived to open up on Saturday morning, he was shocked to see all his shelves empty and some products and boxes strewn across the floor.
He went to the back and saw a hole in the ceiling and a larger hole in the wall. There was also a black bin bag left behind.
CCTV images showed the burglars carried out the theft in the dark and used torches to see what they were doing.
Mr Ali said: “I couldn’t believe it. They got in through the upstairs flat, which has been empty for at least nine months. They used a saw and hammer, and first tried to come through the ceiling. But they found they couldn’t get through, so made a bigger hole in the wall. They must have brought bin bags to carry all the things in. They were here for four hours, putting things in bags and carrying them back out.
“All the shelves were fully stocked, I had even brought extra stock for Christmas. They just cleared all the shelves and the counter areas.”
Mr Ali has now called on the police and council to do more to keep the area safe. He added: “I used to work in restaurants and corner shops and also as a taxi driver. But I wanted to do something more for my family and I thought I would start this business. Now everything has gone down the drain.
“Someone previously tried to break into our shop in May. A man tried to break the front door with a large rock but he couldn’t because the door was strong.
“We don’t feel safe here and a lot of other people feel the same. The police and council need to do something – there should be more CCTV cameras and more patrols. “We feel like we are getting no help.” Police are appealing for witnesses to the burglary, and anyone who was in the area and who may have seen or heard anything suspicious is asked to contact them.
They also want to hear from anyone who may be offered the stolen items for sale.
Anyone with information should ring 101, quoting reference number 357 of 18/11/17 or ring the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.