HUNGRY burglars took a break to eat takeaway burgers during a raid at a Huddersfield town centre coffee shop.
Police found McDonald’s burger wrappers and coffee cups at a crime scene at Costa Coffee in New Street.
The thieves ripped copper piping from air-conditioning units at the shop on Tuesday night.
It is thought the raid would have taken several hours as special security had been installed.
It is not known if the food was brought to the daring robbery or if the cheeky thieves nipped across the road for the food, but tools from nearby Primark were also found, along with bags from Poundland, also at New Street.
Costa Coffee manager Recep Endogan said it was the fourth raid on his shop in the last three months.
He thought it could have taken them up to four hours to unbolt protective steel shielding he had installed following a previous attempt on the units in June.
Mr Endogan had spent £2,000 on the security as the first raid had cost him more than £3,000 to repair.
And he also installed a special new higher gate and razor wire to deter thieves at the rear of the shop.
He said: “Inside the shop is boiling, everybody’s complaining and we’re losing a lot of trade. It’s awful. We’ve got seven or eight staff and I’ve had to send two home early so they won’t get paid enough.
“It’s going to cost us at least £6,000 to replace this and what will they get for the piping – £50? It’s a waste.”
Mr Endogan, who has managed the popular coffee chain’s outlet since it launched in March, said he suspected the audacious raid was the work of the same thieves.
He said: “Twelve weeks ago somebody tried to pinch the copper piping from the units, but they couldn’t, but they caused a lot of damage.
“Two weeks later they were back and they stole an outside light fitting.
“Last week windows were smashed as they tried to get behind the shop.”
