Charity money and Mars Bars stolen from Climping cafe

Sharon Towers labelled the perpetrators ‘scum bags’, said it was a ‘sad’ and ‘inconvenient’ event at an already difficult time.

She said: “We are a small business and with this weather at the moment we are trying hard to make ends meet, this has all got to come out of our pocket.

“They are just scum bags, to nick off a charity and my staff who work hard for these tips - they keep them and then divvy them out at the end of the week.”

Police have confirmed £60 in tips and approximately £80 from the lifeboat was taken, along with six Mars Bars.

Mrs Towers said: “I just don’t understand why they would bother.”

Freezers were also left open and the telephone line cut.

On the latter, Mrs Towers speculated: “They probably thought that was the alarm system, and they’ve pushed the post down as well so all that needs to be fixed.”

She added: “We have alarms on the doors so if they tried to open them it would have gone off, this time it didn’t work as they smashed the doors. We have grates across them and double glazing - it would have taken some force.

“It is the inconvenience and how sad it is, we have not lost much but the lifeboat has and I feel for them.”

The incident, reported to have happened overnight between June 28 - June 29, has also deterred the Towers from plans for the cafe.

Mrs Towers said: “People say to us, why don’t you have seating indoors? We were thinking of putting a conservatory up so we could but that would just get smashed too.

“It is our fourth year and it is just getting worse.”

Police are asking anyone with any information to contact Sussex Police via [email protected] or by calling 101, quoting serial 186 of 29/06.