THE hunt continues for thieves who smashed their way into a Hampshire coffee shop using a drain cover.

A pair of burglars sped past Mettricks Tea and Coffee House in Southampton’s High Street on a motorbike, hurling the heavy drain cover at glass doors.

Residents nearby were woken by the loud noise of shattering glass and saw the pair fleeing from the family-run business, leaving thousands of pounds worth of damage in their wake.

It is the third time the speciality tea and coffee shop has been targeted since the beginning of the year but the owners are remaining defiant, opening just hours after the drama.

Almost no money is kept in the building, but the thieves managed to get away with a small safe containing about £100 in small change.

They also left a trail of destruction behind them, smashing up furniture and destroying cakes, leaving the business with a repair bill rolling into the thousands.

Owner Spencer Bowman told the Daily Echo that he and his nan worked through the early hours of Tuesday morning to clean up the damage caused by the thieves, and were open as normal by 7.30am.

Mr Bowman opened the business last October, using the family name of his great-grandparents, Mettricks, with the aim of offering something different to his customers, including live music, a variety of loose teas and fully trained baristas.

The coffee house was first targeted in February when thieves got away with £5,000, but since then very little money has been kept in the building overnight.

The second break-in happened in May, when a man walked into the office during the day and stole £100 from the office. He was later convicted.

Mr Bowman said: “It’s heartbreaking. You spend a year building this up, trying to do things differently, for the community, and then something like this happens. It does make you feel sick.
“We are not going to let this stop us.

“What has been great to see though is how our neighbours and customers have rallied round to support us, telling us not to give in.”

Anyone with information about the theft, which happened just before midnight on Tuesday, should contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.