Hove shopkeeper 'disappointed' after thief steals till

Dean Jenkins, owner of DPJ Fruits in Hove, had left his stall for only a few seconds when they pounced.

Dean has run the stall in George Street for the last 30 years and said this was the first time he had been targeted.

A shopper picks up a bunch of bananas from the stall (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

He was returning from the Co-op in nearby Blatchington Road when he initially noticed a box of cabbages was missing.

He said: "I've left here a million times to get bits and pieces, and never thought anything of it.

"I've always locked the till, covered it over, and there's always people milling about who will keep an eye out.

"I first noticed the cabbages were missing, and then I went around behind the table to notice an empty space where the till was.

"I thought 'Someone is hungry and wants some money'."

The stall has been open for almost 30 years (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Dean believes the thieves had used the cabbages to conceal the till.

He added: "My driver, Chris, went around to look in the waste bins the next day to see if anything had been dumped.

"Someone who works in Boots got in touch, and said they saw the cabbages in Goldstone Street.

"By the time we'd got there, people had helped themselves to the cabbages."

He said the community have pulled together to help search for the missing till.

"It's been really good out here. People have said they'll keep their ears to the ground.

"But, it will be hard to find since a week has gone by now."

The stall sells fruit and vegetables (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Dean said since the incident he no longer leaves the till unattended and locks it away in his office when he has to leave the stall.

He joined the family business at 17, when it was trading in the Open Market.

It moved to George Street in 1994. Dean said: "I love it. I couldn't do anything else, I'm 53 and I'm certainly not changing my job.

"We know pretty much everyone, and we get on with everyone.

"We've seen a lot of businesses come and go over the years, and we are so lucky to still be trading."

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "Police received a report of stolen property from a business in George Street, Hove, at 11am on January 27.

"The vendor’s till and vegetables are believed to have been taken during the incident, which happened at about 9.20am.

"Witnesses or anyone with information about the incident can report it to Sussex Police online and quote serial 399 of 27/01."