The owner of a Suffolk butchers says he has lost substantial trade and sleep after cash was stolen in a break-in at the weekend.

The incident happened at sometime between 5pm on Friday (November 29) and 6.45am on Saturday (November 30) at Jamie's Meat Inn in Haverhill High Street. 

Thieves entered the property by forcing open a rear door and proceeded to cause damage to the premises before stealing cash and fleeing the scene.


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Jamie Towells, owner of Jamie's Meat Inn, said: "When I arrived at the shop, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

"A door at the rear of the shop had been forced open by the burglar by smashing through the wall around it. The CCTV camera we had installed had also been smashed. Inside the shop, I found damage to the till and signs of the place being searched.

"Usually, we don’t leave cash on the premises, but we were expecting a very busy day, and had left some cash."

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He added: "I was, and I still am, very upset by all of this. Me and my team have worked hard to establish our butcher shop in very difficult trading conditions.

"Saturday was the day of the Haverhill Christmas Fair where we expected to be extremely busy, but we lost a substantial amount of trade while the police forensic team gathered evidence and the damage was made safe before proper repairs could be made.

"Something like this can be the difference between a shop surviving to provide a service and having to close down.

"It has all been very difficult and I have lost sleep over it. It may be just another casual job to that burglar but to me, it is felt personally, and I’m surprised by how much I have been affected."

READ MORE: Suffolk and Essex Crime News

Jamie Towells (left) and Mick Boon (second from the right) Jamie Towells (left) and Mick Boon (second from the right) (Image: Phil Morley) Mr Towells first took over the business in 2014 when previous owner Mick Boon handed over the reins to him following his retirement. 

The business has been running in east Suffolk for over 35 years and has become a local favourite in the run-up to Christmas. 

Police are now investigating the recent break-in and anyone with information should contact them quoting crime reference: 37/67894/24.