The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Outrage as thieves raid children’s play centre
BREAK-IN: Door s were kicked in and rooms ransacked during robbery
A burglary at a children’s play centre just days after it opened its doors has provoked widespread disgust.
Little World of Play, in Cowdenbeath, was ransacked and expensive equipment including an unfitted CCTV system stolen in an overnight break-in.
Owner Jan Rippin was horrified when she arrived to open up on Thursday morning to find bars ripped from a window, doors kicked in and staff areas ransacked.
Since Jan shared news of the raid on social media, which is under investigation by police, hundreds of people have voiced their shock.
Describing the perpetrator as a lowlife, Jan said: “What sort of person would do something like this to a kids’ play centre?”
The soft play centre, which includes areas for imaginative role play, opened in the former Remploy factory in Cuddyhouse Road on March 6.
Sessions have been fully booked since it launched and supporters were quick to share word of the break-in in the hope of tracking down the thief or thieves.
One, Laura Palombo, branded the perpetrators “vile cretins” on Facebook and said: “Who targets a kids’ place of play?! Scumbags.”
Also stolen were cordless vacuum cleaners, laptops and a projector.
Meanwhile, Jan and husband Peter had to promptly buy and install a new CCTV system to replace the one they were yet to fit.
The theft occurred sometime between 10.30pm on Wednesday and 8.30am on Thursday.
Jan said: “We only opened two weeks ago past Monday and I came in early on Thursday to find they had broken in through the kitchen window. They took the bars off and left a right mess.
“They must have been looking for a safe but we don’t keep a lot of money on the premises because people pay for sessions in advance online.
“Luckily it didn’t affect the main area so we were able to clear up and open pretty quickly and didn’t have to cancel any bookings.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police in Fife are investigating following a break-in to a soft play centre in Cowdenbeath.
“The incident happened sometime overnight between Wednesday March 22 and Thursday March 23 at the Little House of Play premises on Cuddyhouse Road.”