Thieves used the cover of darkness and the quiet of the early hours, to break-into seven businesses, three of them in one night.

The most recent break-in was this week, on Monday morning at approximately 2am, at the Cornish Pasty shop on Fairfax Place. The burglar forced a side door but found no cash and left.

PC Richardson told the Chronicle: “There has been another break-in. It appears the suspect is going after petty cash.”

Hannah Stevens, the manager of the Cornish Pasty shop said: “Luckily we don’t keep any cash in the shop overnight.

“The side door was forced and we’ve just had to payout for a new door as they smashed the other one.”

Between 1am and 4am on Wednesday, November 15, police believe thieves broke into the back of the Dartmouth Royal Castle Hotel where they took tools they would use for subsequent break-ins at Dartmouth Butchers on Duke Street and McColls Newsagents on Spithead. The shops have vowed not to leave any cash on premises overnight.

PCSO Rebecca Whalley, who was investigating the break-ins on the morning they occurred, told the Chronicle: ”There were three break-ins. We’re currently doing CCTV follow up in a triangle using McColl’s, The Royal Castle and Dartmouth Butchers as our points of reference.

“We have colleagues in from Totnes to help investigate and to follow up on lines of inquiry.”

At McColls, the bottom one-third of one of the windows at the front of the shop was smashed, allowing the thieves to gain access by crawling through the ground-level gap and enter the store. Stamps and cash were stolen.

At Dartmouth Butchers, the burglars gained access through the glazed, slatted ventilator at the top of the windows at the front of the property. They found the key to the safe and stole what cash was kept.

Sgt Iain Simons said: “Three properties were broken into overnight. We urge people to ensure that cash is not left on premises overnight and that they are securely locked.

“We are out looking at CCTV in the area. We have seen somebody walking around during the hours of the break-ins. We have captured images of the person who we are seeking to identify.

“Cash, small change and stamps were taken. Please contact the police if you are offered stamps for sale. Also, anyone who may have heard or seen anything during the hours between 1am and 4am that could be related to these break-ins at McColls, Dartmouth Butchers or the Royal Castle, please contact us by dialling 101 or sending an email to [email protected] please quote the reference CR/099728/17

“Can we ask also that retailers, restaurateurs and hoteliers take steps to make sure that their CCTV is operating effectively; that the right time and date is being recorded; that the camera lenses are clean and free of dust and that they regularly check the effectiveness of their recording.

“We review these tapes and, if working correctly, they provide invaluable assistance to our investigations.”

Julian Chudley, the owner of Dartmouth Butchers, said: “They broke in the top window and took some petty cash. The police have been good. They came quickly and took a statement.

“We have a safe, in which we kept the petty cash, and they found the key to open the safe and took the cash inside.

“I no longer keep a single coin in the premises overnight.”

One of the assistants at McColls said:”Someone kicked the bottom of the window in. It’s that time of year. The same thing happened around this time time last year. We’re just waiting for the glazier now.

“It’s the type of people they move-in here; the druggie’s and so on. There is no CCTV and no police down here in Dartmouth and, when it gets dark, they do this.”

The Royal Castle declined to comment.

The four break-ins in the last 10 days are the latest of a number of burglaries from businesses this autumn. In September, 20 tubs of ice cream were stolen from the Castle Tea Rooms next to the Dartmouth Castle.

Jenny Royale, manager of the tea rooms, this week said: “They smashed the glass on our ice cream freezer which we leave outside, and took 20 tubs of ice cream. They must have had a van. They left nothing behind. They took it all.

“It took three weeks to replace the ice cream machine and we lost sales during that time.

“All ice cream is taken back inside now. Nothing is left outside overnight.”

The theft at the Castle Tea Rooms was followed weeks later by two more break-ins, one at Smith Street Deli and one at the Good Intent, a sweet and ice cream shop on Lower Street.

Paul Greenfield, owner Smith Street Deli, said: “We were broken into Saturday night about six weeks ago but they didn’t take anything. The police think maybe they were disturbed or because we had no cash on the premises, they just left.

“To get in, they removed the bars on the side window and came in that way.

“The Good Intent was broken into two weeks after us and the Castle Tea Rooms, at some point.

“The police scene of crime offices came and took photographs of footprints that were left but we haven’t heard anything since.

“We are careful not to leave cash on the premises at any time.”

Judith Ewings, a partner of the Good Intent, said:“The police came after we had a break-in on October 2, I think. The thieves took away my larger till, probably because they couldn’t open it.

“They managed to open the smaller one and took the float. The large till was found at the bottom of Waterpool Lane, up past Smith Street. It was pretty bashed up and the float in that was taken although we got the till back.

“We don’t keep any money on the premises overnight any more, so there’s nothing to steal.

“Since calling the police, not a lot has happened really. They said they were going to check CCTV at the Coop to see if they could identify the vehicle or people who, most likely, must have gone up Smith Street with the big till, but we haven’t heard what they have found.

“I can’t believe that someone would break into my independent, little shop but burglar’s think we are easy targets now the police are out of town. So, as I said, we don’t leave cash on the premises at all now.”

A spokesman said: “We have not made any progress yet on the thefts at the Castle Tea Rooms or the Good Intent. We advise people not to leave any cash on the premises overnight.”