PUB bosses were left in shock after a brazen break-in during the early hours of Sunday.

Cumbria Police said between 2.42 am and 2.54am a man approached The Crown Hotel in Walney and entered the property. The police described him as wearing a black hoody, black tracksuit bottoms and gloves.

He left on the bike around 2.54 am, with money taken from the property. The Crown Hotel released CCTV footage of the man breaking into the till with what appears to be a screwdriver.

The Crown posted on social media: “As a family, we are absolutely devastated to be posting this, over the 20 years of running this village pub we have never had an incident like this happen.  But unfortunately, we were broken into last night & our till completely smashed to pieces and yesterday's takings stolen. 

“Unfortunately this person who broke into our pub, knew where the sensors were on our alarms, which gives us the impression he knows the pub well.

“Please everyone be aware of this on North scale and if anybody has CCTV on North scale Road, please check to see if you find anything suspicious.

"The police have been round and got prints & are dealing with it, but if anybody seen anything between the hours of 2.40 am - 3.00 am please contact us ASAP.  

"We are still open as usual today but our till draw is in pieces so it will be card only payments."

South Walney councillor Frank Cassidy said: “The Crown is part of the fabric of Walney life and so it's very disappointing to find out that this has happened.

“It's not only a criminal attack on a local business, it's also unsettling for the North Scale community to discover that someone has been up to no good in the middle of the night.

“Everyone will rally round the pub on this one, and if anyone has any information – including CCTV evidence – they should contact police.”

Anyone with information relating to this incident can report online at www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it, quoting incident number 76 of 30th October. You can also phone on 101.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.'