BURGLARS caused £1,500 damage breaking into a cafe and stealing cash from the till and from two charity boxes.

Barbara Power, 59, owner of the Bay Cafe, in Western Esplanade, Canvey, says she is devastated by the break-in.

The thieves got in by removing tiles from the roof, pulling up the felt and smashing through the ceiling, making off with £210 from the till.

They also stole two charity boxes, one of which was filled with cash for Help for Heroes.

The raid is thought to have taken place between 6pm on Sunday and 9.15am Monday.

Mrs Power, who has owned the cafe for three years, said: “I’m absolutely devastated.

“I just feel completely violated. I would never have dreamed of something like this where we would have police and forensics round.

“I mean, I have lived on the island for 27 years and everyone thinks it is a safe place to live.

“They must have been really desperate, getting through the roof like that with the amount of work they had to do and the mess they made. The upsetting thing is, if this person really needed money we would have given it to them, but instead, they have taken everything and caused all this damage.”

Mrs Power opened the health-food cafe, in 2009 in a former public toilet block, which she spent £50,000 converting.

She decided to start the business venture after her husband, Alan, was forced to give up work after having four heart bypass operations. During the conversion, Mrs Power pulled down 14 interior walls, to create a cosy cafe with room for 32 pink and cream seats.

Mrs Power said: “We have tried to do all we can to stay off benefits and make an honest living in spite of everything which has happened.

“It is such a blow to us for this to happen, just as we have become settled and were starting to make a name for ourselves in the community.”

A police spokesman said: “It appears they got in through the roof, causing £1,500 worth of damage to the roof and elsewhere. We are investigating the situation. Anyone with information should contact Det Con Simon Powell on 101, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.”