Chenise Whitnell, 29, of TeakWalk in Witham, is the manager of Sir Charlie Lockram’s Drink Parlour.

The business, which opened in November, was broken into (right) at around 4.30am last Friday, just five and a half hours after The Swan Pub had two mobile phones stolen.

Miss Whitnell said: “We left that night as usual at 2.30am with the doorman and the staff. I got an alarm call at 4.30am when I was staying at my partner’s house in Chelmsford.

“I tried to look at the security cameras on my phone as we can check them on there but it wouldn’t connect to the system. When we got there I saw the door had been completely kicked in."

See this week's Braintree and Witham Times for more.