Thieves broke into a Perth fishery and left a note telling the owners they “could’ve left cash”.
The thieves smashed their way into the Willowgate Fishery after it closed on Sunday evening, and when they failed to find any money they daubed the message on the walls.
They didn’t leave empty-handed however, stealing several antique fishing reels estimated to be worth between £20 and £30 each.
Dave Clarke, chairman of Tay Salmon Fisheries Company, which operates the site at Willowgate, described the incident as “mindless” and revealed the thieves had caused thousands of pounds-worth of damage.
Although Mr Clarke is counting the cost of repairing the damage done to the caf, he said the biggest impact has been emotional.
He told The Courier that the staff and volunteers have been left “heartbroken” as a result of the break-in, which came just days after the fishery reopened to the public following a two-year legal wrangle.
Mr Clarke added: “It doesn’t matter what happens to the people who did this, the emotional damage has already been done. Everyone who put their heart and soul into Willowgate has been left very, very sad.
“We now have to consider having someone live permanently on the site to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”