Suspected thieves caught on CCTV at village garden centre

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Police
The owner of an independent garden centre has told suspected thieves not to come back to his shop after items were stolen.

Ed Middleton, the owner of Planters, in London Road, Hurst Green, Etchingham, said ‘blatant’ thieves stole two bottles of Jack Daniels whisky and a Buddha statue.

He said the incident on February 9 was all caught on CCTV cameras inside the shop.

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He added: “We have good CCTV images of the people and vehicle registration of the people involved however it seems unlikely that the police will have the time to look in to the crime

“It would seem the suspects are aware of this as they were quite blatant in their actions, looked straight at the camera, and even walked in to our staff office and rifled around

“Their vehicle was unroadworthy and this should be followed up as a matter of public safety.”

Mr Middleton said CCTV appeared to show one of the suspected thieves entering an office located at the back of the store.

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However, Mr Middleton, whose shop has been open for a year, does not believe anything was stolen from the office.

He added: “It’s frustrating as, although petty theft, we are a small and relatively new retail business, and such costs damage the viability of our business

A spokesman for Sussex Police said the theft was reported to them on February 13.

He added: “CCTV image has been received and circulated to the relevant departments for potential identification.”

Police said enquiries are ongoing.

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