Businesses in Perthshire have been left reeling after a spate of break-ins across Aberfeldy and Kenmore saw thieves loot four properties in one week.
The Watermill Bookshop, The Three Lemons restaurant and The Courtyard Restaurant have all been targeted since December 28 with thieves smashing windows and stealing money from cash registers.
Two sheds in Aberfeldy were also broken into with a mountain bike worth thousands of pounds stolen.
Police have launched an investigation into the thefts and are linking the break-ins at the commercial properties but are still unsure if the bike theft is connected.
Jake Schamrel, owner of The Three Lemons on Dunkeld Street, had his cash register stolen during the break-in at around 1.10am on Friday morning.
Jake said: “They kicked the door down, went in and ripped the cash register out the walls.
“I got the call this morning (Friday) at 1.20am and a couple helped me and we secured the building and they stayed with me until around 3am.
“There’s been a lot of police presence today and it is sad in a wee town like ours things like this happen.”
Jake said he and others are now likely to install more security systems in their premises.
An employee at The Watermill Bookshop said the windows of their vans had been smashed the night before the business was robbed, between 10.30 and 11.30pm on Saturday December 28.
They said: “We came in as normal in the morning and the window had been panned in.
“They had taken one of the big rocks from the garden, threw it through the window and went for the float.
“The window in our vans had been panned in the night before as well but nothing was stolen and police reckon it was the same person.”
Tim Edgeler, 33, had his mountain bike worth thousands of pounds stolen overnight New Year’s Day to January 2.
He said: “There’s been a few break-ins up here now. We were in the house but never heard anything.
“It was my shed and another shed that was broken into. They got my bike and some tools from the same shed.
“There were two padlocks on and the bike had a number of chains and it was secured to what I though was an immovable object.
“As far as I can see it was opportunistic. They were going through all the sheds and got lucky with mine unfortunately.”
Tim believes the break-in occurred sometime between 12.30 and 9am on January 2.
The Courtyard in Kenmore was broken into between 12.30 and 7.30am on December 31.
Officers have launched a major investigation into the crime wave.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We would like to ask any small businesses in the area to check your security, alarms, CCTV etc to ensure that they are in full working order, and to be vigilant for anyone acting suspiciously around the premises, particularly if they are examining the layout and security of the building.”
Anyone with information can contact police on 101.
