It is business as usual today at a popular pub after staff were left shocked by a break-in.

Lizzie Parry

IPSWICH: It is business as usual today at a popular pub after staff were left shocked by a break-in.

Cleaners arriving at The Royal George in Colchester Road discovered the “devastation” alerting the mangers, who live upstairs.

Duty manager Colin Laws said the break-in had been very “depressing” for staff as thousands of pounds worth of goods were stolen.

“The perpetrators came in through a window at the back of the pub,” he said. “The managers live on site and were upstairs with their children when it happened.

“She heard something and then went to check her children, probably scaring them off.”

Thieves broke into two pool tables and smashed a cigarette machine stealing about �1,000 worth of cigarettes as well as money from inside and several bottles of spirits from behind the bar.

They also made off with two 32-inch plasma screen TVs leaving the pub with just one 26-inch TV to screen all the live football matches.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident, which happened on Wednesday between 12.05am and 8.30am.

Mr Laws said the televisions were worth “a couple of grand” each.

He added: “The general feeling among staff is it was depressing shall we say.

“To think someone came into the pub to do that, it is not nice.”

Mr Laws said it took a day to restore the pub back to normal after the break-in.

He added: “We are back up and running as normal again, we were back on course serving drinks and light snacks on Wednesday evening.

“We just hope the police are able to catch the people who did this.”

Anyone with information about the incident should call Pc Phil Barrett at Ipswich Police Station on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.