A garden centre manager says he feels "soul destroyed" after thieves struck his business for the fourth time in two months.

Thieves rammed their way through a chain fence in a car, destroyed another fence and broke windows, before stealing £5,000 worth of garden pumps

Jim Loyd, owner and manager of the Water Gardener in Thorpe Road, Little Clacton, said in the past two months, they have lost more than £15,000 in stock and had to pay £45,000 in repairs and security precautions.

Mr Loyd said: "We will have to turn this place into a prison before we can stop it. I feel completely soul destroyed. It's so demoralising.

"This is a small family business and it's not going to be long before we are put out of business. One or two more and we're going to close."

He said his father, Rod Loyd, who had owned the business for more than 20 years, was trying to retire but recent events had made that impossible.

Although they have had minor incidents before, the first major theft in April involved thousands of pounds of plants.

In the second, the thieves stripped money from a till, more than £2,500 from a safe, charity boxes, and a stereo.

A metal gate installed at a cost of £600 was cut down in the third theft, when £7,000 worth of large garden pumps were taken.

Mr Loyd said: "We put fencing up and security bars on windows and doors and toughened glass and put a wall up. Then alarms and infrared sensors."

This time the raiders drove straight through the fence and stole the small pumps by avoiding alarms.

Sgt John Scott, of Walton police, said: "It's appalling that this person has been targeted for the fourth time in this way."

Witnesses can contact the police on 01255 221312

Published Monday, June 16, 2003

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