Leeds bar offers cash, beer and pizza reward after birthday break-in

Burglars stole takings from a Leeds bar on the day it marked its first anniversary.
The Woods in Chapel Allerton.The Woods in Chapel Allerton.
The Woods in Chapel Allerton.

The team at The Woods in Chapel Allerton discovered the break-in when they arrived on Saturday morning to prepare for the bar’s birthday celebrations.

Now they are offering a reward of £2,000, beer and pizza to anyone who can provide information that leads police to the culprits and secures their conviction.

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In a message on its Facebook page, the management team wrote: “We had a fantastic first birthday on Saturday. The garden was looking very pretty, the balcony was bustling, the beer flowing, the pizzas were flying, the swing band was swinging and everyone was frolicking in the summer sun! It was really lovely to see so many of our regulars who have become good friends and so many new faces who are hearing about how good The Woods is!

“Unfortunately on Saturday morning we were broken into. The thieves got away with some very hard earned money.

“If you have a business close to The Woods that may have CCTV we would be very grateful if you could check. Harrogate Road, Stainbeck Road, anywhere really in the near vicinity. The crime happened at 3.45am, these guys had ladders so they must have been seen by someone and been around the area for a good hour.”

Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage, which shows the burglars breaking into the bar at Stainbeck Corner.

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General manager Millie Copestake said all the takings that had been on site were taken from the bar’s upstairs office.

“We’ve been doing so well that it just brought us down a bit,” she said. “We didn’t let it impact us too much, but it caused a slight delay in opening. We tried to keep up our spirits and carry on.”

She said the support shown since news of the burglary spread had been heartening.

“We’ve had quite a few local businesses contacting us about trying to help,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of support from the locals.

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“We know the police are investigating it and if anyone can help in any way, we hope they will let police know.”

Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to call police via 101, quoting crime reference 13160326878.