A brazen thief marched into a Canterbury hotel and walked out minutes later with a safe containing £1,000.

Hotelier Sandie de Rougemont says the theft at House of Agnes in St Dunstan’s Street has left her feeling violated and heart-broken.

She was unable to pay for other traders in the area because the safe contained the hotel’s chequebook and had to cancel a Sunday shift for a casual employee because she wouldn’t be able to pay him.

“This has hit us in a big way – for us to lose £1,000 just like that is absolutely huge,” Sandie said.

“I’m totally freaked out and my staff are so upset by it. It’s so heartbreaking and has left us violated – that someone can just come in here so brazenly and take the safe.”

The theft happened at around 5.30pm on Wednesday, March 4 and was captured on the hotel’s CCTV system.

Raising a grey hood over his head to hide his face from the camera, the young man enters the hotel property via the passageway at the side.

He heads to the office at the back where he spends just three minutes rifling around before placing the safe in a reusable Morrisons shopping bag and leaving.

The thief was wearing white trainers, jeans, a grey hoodie under a green hoodie and had a black bag slung over his shoulder.

Sandie, who has co-owned the hotel for eight years, believes the CCTV footage and the thief’s speed in committing the crime means he may have had prior knowledge of the hotel.

She said: “Not even most of my staff know where the safe is. But he obviously went straight for it.
“It also looks like he was aware of where the cameras were. From the way this kid was moving it looks like he knew exactly what he was doing.

“I had to tell the newsagents that this meant I couldn’t pay them immediately and the same with Hedger’s butchers across the road, but they’ve been very understanding.”

The raid on House of Agnes happened just over a day after a thief took a cashbox containing £100 from St Dunstan’s Pet Supplies as owner Dave Roberts was briefly distracted.

Police have been informed of both thefts. Anyone with information can call them on 101.