Sheffield restaurants, cafes and bars targeted by serial thief stealing staff tips

Gary Hutton, of Nether Edge Pizza Company on Abbeydale Road, had his pizzeria’s extra cash taken earlier in the month.

He said: “We had closed for the weekend at 10pm, and the guys were cleaning up in the back.

“We heard the bell on the door go, saw it swinging shut and noticed the tip jar had gone missing.”

The issue has also been raised on Facebook by Jonny Dean, another eatery owner, to which many cafes and restaurants reported a similar man stealing money.

“It was the same guy that the other restaurants and bars reported,” Gary said. “I saw him on the street earlier in the week, too.”

“He’s not a customer and obviously has an addiction to this.”

Staff members from other establishments commented on the tip-stealer.

“He needs help and support but that is missing in the system,” Gary added.

“We should be asking why he is this desperate in the first place.”

Nether Edge Pizza Company made the headlines in February earlier this year when their CCTV captured another criminal break into the restaurant and steal a till, two iPads and a tub of ice cream.

Sheffield is 14 per cent more affected than the rest of the UK for shoplifting, with 3,036 crimes reported in 2020, but five per cent safer for burglary, with 3,749 incidents, according to statistics released from CrimeRate.