Thieves steal £700 worth of CBD products from Bognor Regis shop

The burglary took place on Wednesday, January 25, and CBD cola bottles, smokable tea flour, and CBD pen flavourings like pink lemonade and sweet strawberry were among the items stolen, a spokesperson for Sussex Police has confirmed.

“Police would like to hear from anyone with information about the burglary who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area between 9.30pm on Tuesday 24 and 10.30am on Wednesday 25 January or who may been offered any of the stolen items. Please report online or call 101 quoting serial 380 of 25/01. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously online or on 0800 555 111,” they said.

For staff at the environmentally-friendly business, the burglary was a tangible blow from which they’re not sure they’ll recover.

"When I arrived on Wednesday morning just after ten, I came through the door like normal and noticed ceiling tiles on the floor,” said shop director Rebecca Rowland. “I thought one of the ceiling tiles had fallen in, but then I realised there was glass all over the floor too. Then I saw the window above our suspended ceiling and realised someone had come in that way.

"I can’t replace all that lost stock – it would cost too much. And we have a convention this weekend that we’ve already paid to attend, and we were supposed to take all that product with us. So it’s really come at a hard time.

Ecoswap also runs a community pantry, which provides free food to those in need without asking for food stamps or formal referrals. Some members of the public donate to the pantry, and Miss Rowland said the thieves also made off with all that petty cash.

Almost worse than all that, though, is the breach of trust and security last week’s burglary represents.

"The lost stock is obviously going to be quite devastating to us as an organisation, because we can’t just replace something like that. And the likelihood is, because the job was so efficient, this is someone I’ve spoken to or helped in the past.”

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