An Aberdeen publican has been left “absolutely gutted” after a robber made off with £15,000 of his hard-earned takings.
John Anderson, who owns The Staging Post, in Bucksburn, was targeted by a walk-in thief last Monday at 1.30am – around and hour and a half after it had closed.
Police have launched an investigation into the theft but no-one has yet been caught.
Last night Mr Anderson said the substantial sum had included his entire weekend’s takings.
He added: “I realised what had happened when I came in last Monday.
“I called the police and reported it and they came round and took statements and looked at the CCTV footage.”
The thief did not damage the premises in any way during the raid.
Mr Anderson said the theft was a real blow for such a small family business.
He added: “I am absolutely gutted.
“The money is gone – it is too late for that. I don’t think it will ever be recovered.
“Aberdeen is the most difficult place to operate in the whole of the UK at the moment with the economic downturn.
“I am absolutely devastated.”
The theft came as a double blow to Mr Anderson, who last month talked about how the closure of the Britannia Hotel – destroyed by fire in July – was having a knock-on effect to his businesses.
At the time, he said: “It’s an absolute eyesore.
“You come here for a meal and you look out the window and see a fire destroyed building.
“We’ve had half the road shut for about three months.
“If you stand and look at that building for an hour you’ll see slates falling off the roof and crashing down onto the pavement.
“Everybody is pretty frustrated by it. It’s not good for the area.”
Last night, a police spokesman said: “The theft has been reported to police and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal.”