Aaron Murly outside Archetype Coffee, where stolen items included a card machine and a pint of milk

INDEPENDENT businesses have reported a string of break-ins over the past six months.

The Extra spoke to owners of coffee shops, restaurants, a barber shop and a pharmacy about the burglaries in Great Titchfield and Riding House streets, Fitzrovia.

One business was burgled twice in May and the owner had to pay to replace a broken door and a stolen payment system.

Archetype Coffee owner Aaron Murly said: “In January we had our first burglary, and this month alone we’ve had two further burglaries.

“Since January there have been at least a dozen other burglaries in this area. It’s all been happening since then.”

Mr Murly said stolen items included the shop’s card machine, a vacuum cleaner and a pint of milk.

He said the criminals were “very clumsy and their faces aren’t very well covered”, and added: “They are doing it out of desperation. Whatever they can get their hands on. I don’t envy these people but they cause a lot of damage. The door will cost £2k to replace – I did not know how much a door was. And if they break the window that’s several thousand pounds. The insurance goes some way and the glass is covered but it’s a time consuming and expensive hassle. You lose a day or maybe two days of trade.

H.T. Harris deli where the door has been left broken since a burglary in December

“I just have to get on with it – replace the door, secure the windows – otherwise I’m just making it more likely that someone will try another break-in.”

Most business owners said they were frustrated by the cost of the damage caused to their properties and were concerned about the number of burglaries reported by neighbouring businesses.

Deli H.T. Harris in Great Titchfield Street was broken into on December 27. Simone Di Iulio, who runs it with his father Giovanni, said: “Our door’s been broken ever since. Nobody’s going to pay for it.”

Mr Di Iulio said: “We are all small businesses around here. We’re a very tight community who look out for each other. It’s bad that they’ve targeted small businesses. We’re lucky they didn’t clear the whole shop.

“The police have been very good to us. They always float by in the daytime, but if they’re not around during the time of the burglaries there’s not much that they can do.”

He added: “This area is not lit up at night-time and the police and the council have talked about cameras, something this road does need as right now you can’t tell who these people are.”

Reza Malekzadeh, owner of Naroon restaurants, said that “It’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt. We have clear CCTV footage of the guy and yet it feels like not enough is being done about it. It’s disappointing to see a lack of action.”

The Metropolitan Police Service were contacted but said they were too busy to respond with a statement.