A LANDLADY said she was left devastated after a burglar broke into her pub and stole hundreds of pounds worth of spirits.

Police officers from Durham Constabulary were called to reports of a burglary at The Mitre pub, in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, which happened sometime overnight between Monday, April 13 and Tuesday, April 14.

Officers believe the suspect entered the premises through the back-door fire exit and stole CCTV equipment along with a number of bottles of alcohol before fleeing the scene.

Julie Woods, joint owner of the pub alongside Linzi Forster, said: “Devastated doesn’t come close to how I feel.

“We are all going through this horrible virus, and we are a great pub and we give loads to charities and try to help anyone.

“We will spring back and start again - I’ve had hundreds of lovely messages, and the same amount of angry too.

“We will be back in business and do what we do best, running our great community pub, and we hope everyone is staying safe.”

The owner said hundreds of pounds worth of bottles of alcohol were stolen along with a CCTV hard drive.

A spokesperson from Durham Constabulary added: “Police were called to reports of a burglary at The Mitre pub in Bishop Auckland which occurred sometime overnight between April 13 and April 14.

“It is believed the suspect entered the premises through the back door fire exit and stole CCTV equipment along with a number of bottles of alcohol.”

Police said they are investigating the incident and enquires are ongoing.

Witnesses can report information about the incident, by calling police on 101.

Alternatively, information can be passed to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800-555 111 or visiting the website at crimestoppers-uk.org