CCTV: Burglary at Wasabi restaurant in Stockton Heath

Wasabi Teppan-Yaki, on London Road, was targeted during a break-in on the evening of Saturday, November 3.

Three burglars, armed with a crowbar and a screwdriver, stole the Japanese restaurant's safe when they raided the premises late at night.

The trio, who were wearing black clothing and had their faces covered by hoods, first visited at 10pm when the restaurant was still open.

They then came back around an hour-and-a-half later, 20 minutes after staff had left for they evening.

After breaking in through the rear entrance, the burglars kicked in the office door and made off with the safe.

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Owner Handan Reyes was concerned that the incident could have had fatal consequences for any staff who had still been on the premises, while several other restaurants, pubs and charity shops in the south of the town had been targeted by burglars in the past few months.

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She said: "Releasing the footage might somehow help to stop these spineless creatures.

"We have footage of them coming to our back door at 10pm and cutting what we think they think was an alarm wire, which it wasn’t.

"They then came back at 11.20pm, 20 minutes after our staff had left – they took our safe, as they panicked when the alarm went off.

"More than what they took, it’s the thought of them breaking into your place of work where you should feel safe.

"And the way that one of them holds that big screwdriver as a weapon shows that if any of my staff or myself would have gone back to the restaurant – which we often do – it would be fatal."