30-01-2025
Pubs hit by crime wave of smashed toilets, broken windows and graffiti
Pubs and a takeaway have been plagued by a spate of time wasters and vandals, leaving them out of pocket and inconvenienced by damage to repair. In one incident a hoaxer placed a £60 fake food order at a small family-run restaurant and takeaway.
The man ordered four brunches from SuRano, an Indian vegan business in Lilac Crescent, Beeston Rylands. The order, placed through the Foodhub website, was for four brunches, consisting of two aloo paratha, yogurt, homemade carrot pickle and a cup of masala chai plus four parathas, yogurt and pickle.
Owner Rano Samra said: "It was to pay on delivery, which we do many times a week. But this time when I arrived at the address it was for a Chinese takeaway. Something didn't seem right so I phoned the number on the order.
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"He answered the phone and when I said I had a delivery for him he hung up on me. From then on I tried a few more times but he refused to answer. At this point I realised it was a prank."
Rano said she had no idea why her business was targeted. The unwanted food was distributed to a family in need and staff.
"The order was to the value of £60. For a small business like ours this is a big financial loss for us. In addition there is the cost of driving ten miles there and back.
"In future I will have to take payment upfront before preparing the food. Until now this has never happened and it had not occurred to me to insist on payment in advance," she said.
The incident is one of a number of time and money-wasting setbacks suffered by hospitality businesses over the last few days. The Fox & Crown in Old Basford was targeted by vandals in the early hours on January 22.
The front of the pub in Church Street was sprayed in different colours, while a mural at the side was ruined by graffiti and will need to be repainted. The owner said they were "sad and angry" and have reported the damage to the police.
A thief used a boulder to smash a window at micropub Mist Rolling Inn, in Derby Road, Nottingham. The pub was broken into at around 4.30am on Tuesday, January 21. Mobile phones and bottles of spirits were stolen.
Owner David Hawyes said replacement glass was an "expense I can't afford". He added: "I feel sorry for them [whoever broke in] that they need to steal to make money for whatever purposes in the first place.
"But have they really considered the ongoing effects? Because not only does it put a hole in my window but it could potentially destroy a business and people's jobs."
In another incident, over the border in Derbyshire, both the ladies and gents toilets were smashed at the White Lion pub in Derby Road, Sandiacre. Photos of the damage were posted on the pub's Facebook page with the message: "And why do we bother? Seven weeks after the refurb! To keep a nice pub, to offer all that we do for the community for mindless idiots to come in to trash both the ladies and men's toilets."
