Yew Tree Inn pub broken into by thieves who stole money

Anna Vaughan, landlady of The Yew Tree Inn, Colwall Green, near Malvern, was devastated to find thieves had taken £250 and two bottles of alcohol from behind the bar.

The two thieves struck at about 3.40am on Friday, May 9, with the landlady discovering the theft a few hours later.

She said: "To be honest, the money is the hardest bit for us.

"People may not think that £250 is a lot, but we have to work very hard to earn the money we make so it is very difficult when someone steals that from you.

"It will cost us more to try and get that money back through our insurance, so we have lost that for good now."

Ms Vaughan also spoke about the mental effect that the break-in had taken.

She said: "The fact that we live in the pub makes it very tough because it is like they have broken into our home.

"We were fast asleep when they broke in and I only discovered the theft the next morning when I came down."

Following the incident, the till is no longer kept on site overnight.

Within a couple of hours of the discovery, police and forensics teams had arrived at the pub.

"I have to thank the police for all their help," she said.

 "They responded very quickly to our call and were very thorough in their investigation."

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West Mercia Police have now launched an appeal into the theft.

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: "Officers are appealing to anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area that morning, to people who may have doorbell footage and to anyone who has any information that would help with their enquiries.

"Please contact police constable Kieran Charles by emailing kieran.charles@westmercia.police.uk."

Alternatively, information can be passed on anonymously via Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website.

Despite the robbery, the pub was still open less than 12 hours later.

Ms Vaughan added: "You can't let them stop you and we had a very busy Friday night after that."