A masked raider stole a charity tin during a break-in to a Monifieth pub.
The owner of The Crown Inn is urging locals to be vigilant after the venue was targeted in the early hours of Sunday.
CCTV captured the moment the intruder, whose face and head were covered, raked around inside the bar before stealing the tin, which had money inside for a children’s charity.
Alan Porter, who runs the pub with his wife Mandy, says the thief got in through the main door on High Street.
He said: “We had an open mic night on the Saturday night and we locked up around 1.30am on the Sunday morning.
“We went back to the pub around 10.30am as one of the guys who was playing needed to get some stuff and the door was already open.
“The CCTV shows (the thief) goes straight to the till. He shakes it but there’s nothing in there but he managed to steal the tin for the kids’ charity on the bar.
“It was cable-tied to the bar but he ripped it off. There wasn’t too much in there, maybe £50 or £60.
“He was in and out in less than a minute.”
Break-in has ‘burst our bubble’
Alan, who took over The Crown Inn on New Year’s Day, says the break-in took the shine off what had been an otherwise successful weekend.
He said: “The break-in has burst our bubble a bit. It was a great night seeing all the local talent and you wake up to that, it takes the buzz out the weekend.
“The customers are not happy either and they are uneasy that someone has broken in.
“The locals have taken to the pub again and it’s been great but this puts a sour taste in the mouth.”
Alan, 52, is now urging others in the community to keep a look out for potential thieves.
He added: “It is frustrating more than anything. For these people it’s a smash and grab but I’ve had to get the door fixed and that.
“It’s important to know that these people are out and about and to be vigilant. It can be so easy for these guys so keep a look out for anything.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On the morning of Sunday, police received a report of a break-in to a premises in the High Street area of Monifieth.
“Inquiries into the incident are ongoing.”
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