Popular Withington café bar Fuel was broken into in the early hours of Monday 23rd of November, with thieves taking a till with up to £4,000 of cash inside.
The thieves made their way in through the roof, causing devastating damage inside the café, as well as stealing cash and various other items. They then fled through the fire escape. It is thought that the theft happened between 1am and 10am on Monday.
Manager Michael Dumbabin said: “I came into work and there was stuff literally all over the place. They had come in through the ceiling and kicked the ceiling from above and then climbed down on a ladder.
“They’ve not taken that much stuff, just cash from the till.”
A police spokesperson said that Greater Manchester Police received a call about the break-in and attended. She said: “Entry was made via the roof and exited via the fire escapes. Various items were stolen, including a till.”
Michael added: “There is so much equipment that could have been taken I can’t understand why they just took cash.
“The real problem is the absolute mess they have made. We have got builders in fixing the roof so it will be back to normal as soon as possible.”
This will be good news to the many students of Fallowfield and Withington who frequent Fuel, on Wilmslow Road, for their student-friendly vegetarian fare, and weekly ‘Quiz and Chips’.
Fuel was also targeted back in July 2011, when robbers threatened staff and stole money and one employee’s iPhone. At the time, Detective Constable Chris Cox of Greater Manchester Police said: “This was clearly a very distressing experience for the members of staff, though I would stress that incidents of this nature are rare in Withington.”
If you have any information about the incident, call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
