UPDATE! Peacock Mews community rallies together after Espresso-Head and Twinstyle Hair Salon suffer break-ins

Peacock Mews businesses suffered two break-ins on Tuesday, with plucky owners determined to 'carry on'.

Espresso-Head coffee shop, Hockliffe Street, and Twinstyle Hair Salon, Peacock Parade, were targeted during the early morning of March 28, with windows smashed, but nothing believed to have been stolen.

Twinstyle Hair Salon were lucky enough to reopen at 10.30am, while upset Espresso-Head staff lost a day of trading on Tuesday, as they worked hard to tidy up and repair the damage.

Espresso-Head owner, Matt Brown, claims: “I had a text from the alarm system at about 5.20am notifying me that it had been set off.

“I went down to the shop myself and saw that someone had tried to break in.

“The CCTV camera had been pushed upwards and the security light was smashed.

“The rear window was also smashed, which would have set the alarm off. I think that must have made whoever it was nervous, as nothing has been taken from the shop.

“We were broken into eight months ago and our till was stolen. I am happy nothing has been taken this time but it is not a good feeling. A few burglaries have happened recently.

“I got a new window and lock, which cost £500 and we lost a day’s takings.

“I want to thank all our customers for wishing us well when we reopened (Wednesday 29).”

Meanwhile, Mandy Humphrey, who owns Twinstyle Hair Salon with her twin sister, Julie Jones, claims: “The lady from Peacock Mews Collectables contacted us on Tuesday morning to say that she had heard Matt’s alarm go off and then noticed what had happened to our shop.

“My husband went down first at 7.45am and the police had been there from about 6.30am and had boarded up our windows.

“The door window was smashed, as well as the little window next to it, and our bay window (opposite the Latte Dah Coffeehouse and Cafe patio) had been smashed. It looked like someone had pulled and pulled, because half of its window frame had gone and so had half of the window sill.

“There was mess and glass everywhere. I don’t know how much it will cost to repair.

“My theory is that whoever it was tried to smash the door but were stopped from entering by its bars. I think they then went round the side of the shop where the bay window is, where they would be more hidden.

“Inside, they had pulled the till out, but found that we had left it empty.”

The determined shop staff opened for business at usual 10.30am that morning (Tuesday 28) and Mandy would like to thank the lady at Peacock Mews Collectables who kindly gave them a sign to put up over their boarded windows saying ‘open as normal’.

Mandy added: “We’ve been here since 1988 and what’s happened is one of those things – I don’t want it to get me down.

“It was sunny today (Thursday 30) so we could have the front door open to let the light in. Everybody in Peacock Mews has been really helpful, considerate and kind.”

A Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman said: “We are investigating both break-ins and anyone with information about either incident is asked to call police on 101. For the hair salon the crime reference number is: JD/12687/2017. For the coffee shop it is reference: 44 of March 28.”