50 Burglaries In Four Years Push British Cafe Owner To Brink Of Bankruptcy

A cafe owner in West Dulwich, south London, says she may be forced to shut down her business after being burgled more than 50 times in just four years, according to The Metro. Stephanie Morgan, the owner of Stephanie's, has suffered repeated thefts that have left her on the verge of bankruptcy.

Thieves have repeatedly targeted the cafe, stealing everything from alcohol to ice cream. Some break-ins involved criminals using specialised cutting equipment to open secure metal containers used to store stock overnight, as per the news report.

Despite increasing security measures, including installing multiple CCTV cameras, the break-ins have continued. In many cases, the thieves have either cut the power supply to the cameras or turned them away to avoid being recorded. The most recent burglaries occurred on September 16 and 18, when large amounts of stock were stolen again.

Speaking to Metro, Ms Morgan revealed that the financial losses caused by the burglaries have run into tens of thousands of pounds. The repeated crimes have placed her business under severe financial strain.

In a bid to keep the cafe running, Ms Morgan has launched a GoFundMe campaign to seek community support and cover the damages caused by the thefts. She expressed her fear that without urgent help, the business she has worked hard to build could soon be forced to close its doors for good.

Stephanie told The Metro: "It's been a nightmare. Our cafe is near a park and they are getting over the fence. They recently hit us twice in two weeks in one raid stealing alcohol. We have been burgled around 50 times in the past four years. They steal anything. Food, drink and even furniture. Once they emptied a fridge of Magnums."

"They have trashed the place so many times. It's difficult to go on we are regularly losing our stock. I just can't afford this."

She said the thieves were mainly opportunists using the lack of CCTV covering the park gates or nearby West Dulwich station to make an easy getaway without being taped.

Stephanie set up the cafe in 2021 and has built up a loyal clientele. However, every morning she fears thieves and vandals will have struck again.