Cafe owner spots burglar on CCTV during break-in

Nicola Conneely says she was inundated with offers of help after her cafe was broken in to

The owner of a cafe has described the moment she warned off a burglar who broke into her premises after watching him on CCTV.

Nicola Conneely, who runs Playwrights Cafe in Coventry's Canal Basin, said he smashed a window at the business to gain access in the early hours of Monday.

She was alerted to the break-in by a message on her phone, which was linked to cameras she had installed.

West Midlands Police said officers were investigating.

Mrs Conneely has owned the Canal Basin business for five years but this was the first time it had been broken into.

"So at 2am on the dot my phone went off to say the alarm was going off. Luckily it woke me up, so I just went straight on the CCTV and saw that there was someone coming through the back window," she said.

"We can talk through the CCTV system to alert them, but I was in a bit of a panic so I couldn't figure out in my sleepy state which button to press - so the next thing I thought was to call the landline to let them know they were being watched.

"As soon as I rang the phone luckily they turned around and went straight back out again."

The burglar gained access after smashing a window

The Playwrights Cafe had to close for the day while the smashed glass was replaced and the area was made safe again.

While nothing was taken during the break-in, the business did lose several hundred pounds worth of trade and her staff missed out on a day's wages.

Mrs Conneely said she was inundated with help after posting about the break-in on social media.

'Police response fantastic'

She said: "I just had so many messages and by the end of the day, there'd been like hundreds of people had wanted to help.

"Small businesses were there to support other small businesses. And that's really what it's all about, like the community spirit."

She also praised the police for their swift response.

"It was probably like a minute after we'd been broken into I dialled 999 and when I later reviewed the CCTV you can see that they arrived within six minutes with a police dog unit," she said.

"I know the police don't always get the best comments about them, but the response we've had has been fantastic."

• Listen: Owner watches thief break in on CCTV