Heartbreak after bakery 'ransacked’

The owner of an independent bakery says she is heartbroken after raiders smashed into her shop causing more than £1,000 worth of damage.

An investigation into a break-in at The Sugar Pot, in Thomas Street, has been launched after offenders ransacked the bakery, stealing around £50 from the till in the early hours of Tuesday.

Gemma Liddle, who owns the shop, shared pictures of the damage following an‘ awful’ year spent trying to keep the business going during the Covid pandemic.

The mum-of-four said: “We were woken at 4am this morning by the police because the shop was broken into, after the awful past year trying to keep the business going then finally reopening only two weeks ago this has devastated us they ransacked the shop, probably setting us back upwards of £1,000 for the sake of stealing a £50 till with a few 1p, 2p and 5p coins in

“We are now looking at installing CCTV and a new door.”

A coffee shop in Seaham has also reported a break-in on Tuesday morning, but it is not believed to be linked at this stage.

A Force Spokesperson said: “Earlier today, we received a report of a break in at a premises on Thomas Street, Sunderland. “It was reported that at some point overnight, offenders have smashed a glass door to gain entry, beforemaking an untidy search and making off with a quantity of cash.

“Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with informationis asked to get in touch by calling 101 or using the Tell us Something page on our website, quoting log 56 06/04/21.”