Raiders ransack Adam’s Cafe in Hythe and leave swastika drawn with cream

“It looked like a bomb had hit it” – these were the words of a “shattered” café owner whose Hythe business was ransacked.

Food and drink was strewn all over the inside of Adam’s Café on South Street, along with furniture, after raiders forced their way in through the back door last Friday night.

Owner Adem Dursun discovered the devastation when he arrived for work the next morning.

“I first saw the egg on the window, then opened the door and saw that it looked like a bomb had hit it,” he told the A&T.

“Everything was upside down, and there was milk and food everywhere. Even the police had never seen something as extreme as that mess.

“I’m shattered, to be honest. You feel horrible. You work very hard and then someone comes and spoils it for you, all for their pleasure or to feed their habits.”

The raiders stole 15-20 crates of canned soft drinks, but Mr Dursun pointed out cash is never left at the café. He displays the empty till in the window every night.

Initially told police would come in a few days, Mr Dursun managed to get crime scene officers to attend within an hour to carry out forensics.

Branding the system “a joke”, he said: “If the police are not going to protect my business, who is going to protect it?”

Mr Dursun stressed his feelings were shared by many others in the community, saying they were “more scared and more disappointed than they have ever been”.

“The criminals out there think they’re untouchable,” he continued.

“As a businessman, I’m gutted. I lost two days of trade and had to spend money to bring it back together again.

“I’m worried as you can never say it’s not going to happen again. I get up every morning and hope the business is still there.”

Mr Dursun paid thousands to rectify the damage, as well as install a new steel back door and upgrade security.

Drink was previously stolen when thieves broke in through the rear of the café last summer, but no extensive damage was caused then.

One part of the latest raid that troubled Mr Dursun, who moved to Britain from Turkey 25 years ago, was a crude swastika daubed in whipped cream on one of the tables.

“When I opened this café three years ago, in a short time it became a very established business in Hythe and I was accepted, so to see a sign like that is disappointing,” he said.

He praised the “absolutely amazing” people who had provided support, commenting he had turned down offers of practical and financial help.

Police investigating the break-in, which took place between 10.30pm and 11pm, are appealing for witnesses and those with useful video footage.

Get in touch online at hampshire.police.uk or call 101, quoting reference 44240251361.

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously at crimestoppers-uk.org or on 0800 555 111.