Series of Break-Ins Leaves Nottingham Pub Landlord with £20,000 Loss After Business Closure

DOWNLOAD IPFS

A former Nottinghamshire pub owner says he’s been left more than £20,000 out of pocket after thieves targeted his closed business multiple times over one weekend, stealing vital equipment and leaving no insurance fallback.

Rahul Savji, former landlord of The Emerald Inn in Wilford, has launched an urgent appeal after his former premises were broken into five times between Friday, July 4, and Monday, July 7. The pub, which closed earlier this year due to rising operational costs, was stripped of valuable items, including televisions, commercial cooking equipment, a generator, and other catering tools.

Savji told Nottinghamshire Live he was enjoying a cricket test match on the Friday when he received the first message that his pub had been broken into. Shockingly, the situation escalated over the weekend. “When we turned up on Sunday night, after a neighbour said there were people inside, they all just ran off,” he said. “When the police arrived, they said the group claimed to be urban explorers. But it’s devastating; six TVs were gone, and all the grills, a hot plate, and a commercial oven were gone.”

He added that a key had been found inside the premises, which allowed repeated access throughout the weekend. To make matters worse, the burglars also took the closed-circuit television (CCTV) equipment, including the recorder and all footage, removing any clear leads for investigators.

Savji estimated the value of the stolen equipment to be in excess of £20,000. He noted that as the pub had officially ceased trading in May, there was no active insurance in place to cover the loss. “We didn’t expect this to happen. We closed the business and left the equipment because we had nowhere else to store it,” he said. “Now we’re being told we have to pay back the value of everything taken. It’s a nightmare.”

Repeated Attacks

The Emerald Inn opened in 2023 and quickly became Nottingham’s first Indian-themed pub, offering popular “desi” mixed grills. Despite local support, the business closed earlier this year, with Savji citing unsustainable costs as the main reason.

The repeated break-ins have highlighted the growing issue of abandoned or temporarily closed commercial properties becoming easy targets for criminals. The lack of insurance and limited response options have left small business owners like Savji bearing the full brunt of the financial damage.

Nottinghamshire Police confirmed that officers responded to reports of a break-in between 7 and 8 July and that cooking equipment and an electricity generator were taken. Damage to the site’s garage door was also reported.

Police Constable Betty Shone, of the City South neighbourhood policing team, said: “Officers have conducted thorough CCTV and house-to-house enquiries. We’ve kept the business owner informed throughout and are aware (sic)  of previous issues involving trespassers. We urge owners of vacant premises to secure their properties as much as possible.”

With little hope of recovering the lost items through insurance or police intervention, Savji has turned to social media for help. He issued a Facebook appeal, asking anyone with information about the incidents to come forward.