Break-ins becoming 'commonplace', say pub staff

Break-ins and antisocial behaviour are becoming commonplace in an area of Hull, business owners and staff say.

It comes after three pubs were targeted over the bank holiday weekend, with incidents at Queens Hotel and St Johns Hotel, on Queens Road, and Newland Tap, on Newland Avenue.

Jack Stone, who works at Queens Hotel, said: "It seems to be almost a weekly occurrence that people are just coming in, breaking doors down, [breaking] windows, stealing a whole bunch of stuff."

A Humberside Police spokesperson said officers were working closely with the local authority and partner organisations to "tackle criminality on the Avenues in Hull".

Stone, 32, said thieves tried to break in through a window early on Sunday morning, but ended up entering through a back door. He said they stole a TV and spirits, collectively worth £1,000 to £1,500.

Police said it was called to reports of a break-in at about 02:00 BST on Sunday and urged witnesses or anyone with footage of the incident to get in touch.

Stone said the pub had been broken into three times this year, but the most recent incident was "definitely the worst".

"It does affect our day-to-day trading because we run out of stock, but also makes us all feel a lot more unsafe," he said.

"You don't know, even just walking home at the end of the street, if those people are still around or if they're going to move to more aggressive crimes."

Stone said the business was looking at getting an electronic doorbell to deter burglars.

"When I first moved here just two years ago, I thought this place was super cool, really chill, very nice community," he said.

"There are still all those things, but now we have to be worried just for the people who live around here."

Adie Martin, landlord of St Johns Hotel, said the garage was broken into on Friday night and power tools, worth £1,000 to £1,5000, were stolen.

"It's gutting because you spend your time getting bits here, bits there, save up for this, save up for that, and somebody just comes and takes it," he said.

Martin said crime in the area was "getting worse".

"It's a hard enough trade to be in as it is without the stress and the hassle," he added.

Erica Price, 36, who runs Newland Tap, said a man in a balaclava entered the pub at about 05:40 on Saturday. Nothing was taken or damaged, she added.

Price said the man was confronted and asked to leave by a staff member who was working overnight.

"I do expect them to come back because a few venues have been burgled twice," she said.

"Everyone's really trying to do their best to sort of fight it and carry on with business."

The break-ins are the latest in a wave of incidents in the area after businesses in Newland Avenue were hit by a spate of nine burglaries last month.

Stone said he would like to see more police patrolling during the night.

A spokesperson for the Humberside force said officers had tactics in place to help tackle offences in the area, including uniformed officers patrolling key areas, offering security advice to businesses and applying for criminal behaviour orders to prevent reoffending.

A spokesperson added: "We also work to educate businesses and provide crime prevention advice, encouraging reporting to help us take action against offenders.

"We continue to monitor local trends and work hard to address specific issues, such as hotspot locations and repeat offenders."

Humberside Police said inquiries into the latest break-ins remained ongoing and have appealed for information.

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