Staff tips stolen after break-in at garden centre

THE owner of a garden centre in South Shields has been left 'devastated' after a break-in which saw around £500 of staff tips stolen.

- OWEN YOUNGER

Kenny Coates, 31, was drifting off to sleep at 10.45pm on Saturday night when he was alerted to the burglary via the alarm system on his phone.

He rushed around to Green Fingers Garden Centre and got there within minutes, as did officers from Northumbria Police, but as officers arrived, the perpetrator was able to escape from a back exit, smashing two windows in the process.

However, it is the emotional impact which is impacting Kenny the most. He said: "This has definitely given everyone here some anxiety.

"It is a family business between me and my dad, and other family members also work here.

"My biggest gripe with all this is that our cash, of which a small amount was stolen, is insurable, but the tips aren't, so we are trying to raise as much as we can to try and make sure people are still able to make the most of their Christmas with the tips they were going to get.