A cafe owner has told of her heartbreak that the burglars who ransacked her business last month remain at large.
The Engine Room Cafe, in the Hunslet area of Leeds, was raided on 14 July, with those responsible causing around £1,500 worth of damage and stealing more than £500 worth of food and stock.
Fiona West, who has run the cafe since March, said the incident had “knocked her for six” and claimed the police appeared to be “not interested” in catching the burglars, with no arrests having been made despite customers identifying them.
West Yorkshire Police said it was making “further inquiries into the identities of the suspects suggested”.
Among the stock seized by the burglars was 48 cans of Red Bull, while they even made off with four toilet rolls.
West, 63, said: “The whole incident has just made everything worse.
“We’re just a small business. We’re up at 05:50 every day trying to make a living and these people come and ruin it all. It’s heartbreaking.”
She added: “Emotionally, it’s taken everything we’ve put into that business out. The other day I just wanted to walk away from it all.”
West, who said she and her partner had “put all our savings” into the cafe, added that she “no longer feels safe” working in the area and is considering moving to a premises elsewhere in Leeds.
