Wakefield city centre pub targeted by thieves for second time

It is the second time in the space of a year than Jolly Boys, on the corner of Northgate and Cross Street, has been burgled.

On the first occasion the burglar managed to steal a till but ended up leaving it lying in the street. Nothing was stolen this time.

Paul Mann, manager at the parent Jolly Boys Brewery, said: “It just annoying really. It’ll only cost us for the window but it’s a hassle and a pain.

“I think it’s getting worse. I know a lot of places round here have been done and it’s no wonder that most shops are empty at the top end of Wakefield.

“It’s just neverending – this kind of thing just seems to happen again, and again, and again.

“But the police were really fantastic with us. They did a really good job.”

He said there a was “a lot” of blood around the smashed window from an injury likely caused when it was broken.

He said CCTV from the pub had been handed over to police as part of the investigation.

Company director Ondrie Mann said: “It’s a shame how desperate some people can be do something like this. It’s a lot more like opportunist desperation than organised crime.

“We don’t keep money in the till overnight and we hardly have any stock so there’s nothing really to nick anyway.”

The break-in took place overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday.

Police were called to reports of the incident around 6.20am on Wednesday morning and enquiries are ongoing.

The pub, which started trading in August 2017, opened as usual after the burglary.

Anyone with information can contact West Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting crime reference number 13190208731