Boathouse in Dedham raided by burglars for the SIXTEENTH time

The crooks targeted the Dedham Boathouse restaurant in Dedham on Tuesday night, just minutes after staff finished their shifts.

It takes the the number of break-ins at the venue to 16.

Manager Chris Sobolewski described the latest incident as “soul breaking” but said the staff would not be deterred and the restaurant opened as normal.

He said: “That was break in number 15 or 16 - I’ve lost count.

“It happened about half an hour after we had finished the shift. The main door was smashed and two people went through.

“They had a sharp object in their hands and they walked through the restaurant and offices smashing their way through.

“There is substantial damage to the property which is quite serious but nothing was taken.

“Luckily no staff were injured. It could have been much worse.”

Mr Sobolewski said the team no longer leaves money on site after so many burglaries.

He said in the latest incident two people wearing hoodies were caught on CCTV making their way through the restaurant.

“It is soul breaking. We are putting our hearts into making this place really special and then we arrive in the morning and it is all in bits,” he said.

“It is so frustrating.

“The police were called but [the crooks] ran away before they could arrive.

“Because we are so remote it does happen so often but there is not much we can do about it.”

Essex Police is investigating the incident.

A spokesman said: “We received a call at 11.55pm on Tuesday reporting someone had broken into the Boathouse restaurant in Mill Lane, Dedham.

“A door was damaged and a safe was removed.

“If you have any information about the incident please call us on 101 quoting the crime reference number 42/71498/19 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Mr Sobolewski said the popular tourist spot has been the victim of raids roughly once a year since opening.

In 2016, crooks forced open the wooden kiosk and ransacked it for cash, which is not left in the premises overnight.