Bridge Farm, Rainford, targeted by burglars

When did the burglary happen?

Bridge Farm, in Rainford, was targeted by the thieves in the early hours of Friday, April 14.

Co-owner Janette Cockayne said the burglars had smashed into the café, and also broke into an outbuilding and went into her house, stealing cash, as she slept upstairs.

The premises, on News Lane, includes a café, plant nursery and campsite, and Janette says it is the first break-in they have experienced in 25 years.

“I live here, I am the granddaughter of the original farmer,” said Janette.

“When I got up at 6.30am (on Friday) I came downstairs and all the doors and cupboards were open in the house.

“My immediate reaction was ‘what’s going on here?’

“I saw that the window was open and I realised then what had happened, they had gone in through the kitchen window.

“I saw my purse was gone and several petty cash boxes, for the plants, café and another box I’ve had for a very long time.

“They took all the boxes and left all the cupboards open to make minimal noise.”

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Janette added: “I rang the police, they said ‘is there anything else?’, I went outside and noticed there was a garage open ajar and they’d forced the padlock of one of the outbuildings and I saw the café door was smashed, they had done it with a screwdriver.

“I suspect they went into the café first, the outbuilding and then got into the house.”

Janette said bits of cash had been stolen from the café and enough damage has been caused for it to need a new door.

Janette says CCTV footage has shown the suspected offenders arriving in the early hours and that there were three individuals involved.

She said it is believed they parked on Kendal Drive and left in the direction of Buttermere Crescent.

During the burglary, Janette said four bank cards from her purse and two of her husband’s cards had been taken, and a payment was made on a card at 5.40am on Friday at shops in Aintree before it had been cancelled.

'I was upset and shocked'

The business has appealed for anyone with ‘ring doorbell’ footage of people walking down Kendal Drive from News Lane in the early hours of Friday, and for anyone who has images showing the registration number of the car the offenders used to come forward.

Janette said the break-in, the first in 25 years at the premises, had left her feeling shocked.

“It is hard to describe, I keep thinking ‘did it really happen?’, she added.

“I was upset and I was shocked. The last time we had a burglary was 25 years ago.

“How can somebody do that? Go into somebody’s house and take what is not theirs. It is just wrong.”

She expressed gratitude for the support they have received from the community since the break-in.

“On the Facebook posts, people have been supportive, I’ve had lots of messages from people saying ‘if there’s anything I can do.”

Contact police with information on 101, or @MerPolCC, quoting reference number 23000315350.