A Croydon café owner is left "heartbroken" after his shopfront was smashed twice in three days by burglars who made off with just £70. Adrian Bytniewski, owner of Bob's Your Uncle Coffee on Selsdon Road near South Croydon station, now faces a repair bill of £12,000 to replace the shattered window.
Two burglaries in three days
The first break-in occurred at 12:30 am on Monday, April 20, when two men used a grass breaker tool to shatter the window while an accomplice acted as lookout. They stole £70 from the till and tip jar. The same pair allegedly returned in the early hours of Wednesday, April 22, but found no cash on the premises. The café has since reopened with temporary plywood covering the damaged window.
Owner's shock and community impact
Mr Bytniewski expressed his shock, noting that despite Croydon's reputation, the café had never experienced problems in seven years. "We built a good community around the shop," he said. He highlighted issues with drug addicts and homeless people but stressed they had coexisted peacefully. The repair cost comes at a difficult economic time, and while insured, Mr Bytniewski must pay the deposit upfront.
Police have launched an investigation but could not retrieve fingerprints. Mr Bytniewski remains resilient, supported by his staff and loyal customers. "We have people, we have our community... everyone depends on us being open," he added.
