A coffee shop in Watford town centre was smashed into before being targeted twice more on the same night.

Ocean Bells in the High Street was first broken into just before 2am on Saturday morning (August 6), owner Jon Cao said.

CCTV showed another man breaking in around an hour later, before a third break-in at around 4am.

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Police are aware and have been down to the coffee shop to gather evidence.

The shop was forced to stay closed on Saturday but reopened to customers on Sunday.

Watford Observer: Credit: Ocean BellsCredit: Ocean Bells

The first break-in saw two people approach Ocean Bells and it is thought the door was smashed with a brick before a man in a face mask and cap entered and stayed in the shop for up to 20 minutes.

Mr Cao said he got away with a bag which had an iPhone, Macbook and Airpods inside, along with money from a tip jar and charity collection box.

Using an app, the coffee shop owner managed to track down his bag near Ladies Close, but his Airpods remain missing.

The second break-in of the night saw a man in a hoodie take up to £200 in cash.

Around an hour later, a passing crowd stopped outside and could be heard laughing and joking. Two people were captured on CCTV going inside the shop and treating themselves to food and drink, including cookies.

A fire alarm later went off at 4.30am, alerting security staff at atria Watford shopping centre, and Mr Cao said when he arrived at 5am, police were already there.

Police confirmed that two teenagers, aged 18 and 19, were detained later on Saturday and admitted to breaking in. They provided an apology to Mr Cao and were given a conditional caution.

Investigations into the first two break-ins are ongoing.

Watford Observer: The door before it was boarded up. Credit: Ocean BellsThe door before it was boarded up. Credit: Ocean Bells

Ocean Bells is open but staff have had to put boarding up because of the damage caused.

Mr Cao said: “We are annoyed by what has happened. To target a small independent business is really unfair.

“It makes no sense really to break into a coffee shop, there's nothing to steal.

"I would like to thank our customers for their support and their messages to us."

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