The owner of Redbridge Garden Centre in north-east London, which has been burgled 15 times in 13 years, says he is worried sick after the latest break-in devastated his business.
Thieves broke into the centre in Roding Lane North, Woodford Bridge and loaded a £15,000 JCB digger onto a trailer and towed it away using one of the centre’s vans,
They also took power tools, plant pots and hundreds of packets of seeds.
Owner Bruce Freeman, 55, was on holiday in Wales when staff rang to tell him the news.
He said: “I came straight back and was greeted by a depressing scene.
“There was stuff lying about everywhere. They had taken so much and added to that they had ripped out our CCTV system.
“We have insurance on the vehicles, and in fact the van was found and returned to us.
“But it’s impossible to get insurance on all the stock if you are a garden centre and I reckon we have been left out of pocket by about £70,000 because of this.
“Then there’s the fact that we haven’t been able to fulfil orders or make deliveries. It’s been absolutely devastating.”
Last time thieves broke into the centre four years ago they stole Mr Freeman’s guard dog Troy.
The distraught business owner said: “We have been broken into 15 times and four of those have been major burglaries.
“Thankfully we got Troy back because we are very attached to him.
“He comes home with us now. We have another guard dog, Fred, but this lot who broke in must have locked him in his pen."
