Telford baker launches appeal after youths reportedly take £50 worth of sweet treats from new 'microbakery'
A Telford baker has launched an appeal to track down the parents of two youths, who were allegedly caught on CCTV taking more than £50 of sweet treats from a brand new honesty box.
Telford baker Sophie Weeks has launched an appeal to find the parents of two boys, after the youths were reportedly seen taking more than £50 worth of treats from her brand new 'microbakery'.
The home baker has been running Geeky Desserts for around a year, mostly making wholesale tasty treats for businesses around Shropshire - including Greenfield Farm Shop in Donnington and Priorslee.
On Sunday, August 17, Sophie opened the doors to her brand new kerb-side honesty box, packed full of bread, bakes and cheesecakes, as well as homemade marmalades, jams and curds.
Open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm, the distinctive pink shed on Arran Way in Muxton has quickly proven popular with locals.
But after just five days, on August 21, more than £50 worth of sweet treats, including cheesecakes, cookie pies and school cake were taken from the stall.
Sophie said: "£50 may not seem like a lot, but this business is my main source of income. It pays my rent, bills, puts fuel in my car and food on the table.
"Small businesses work so hard to earn their money, and people think it’s okay to come along and just take what they want without thinking of the repercussions this has on the business owner.
"It’s not fair to the person behind the scenes working on their feet more than 12 hours a day, six days a week to make a living."
CCTV which covers the stall, revealed two boys in the area. The pair were seen leaving the street and heading towards St Johns Church in Muxton at around 7.45pm.
Sophie claimed no bank transfer had been made since that morning, and there was just one £10 note in the cash box at the end of the day.
She has since appealed on social media for information, hoping to find the parents of the children and potentially recover the cost of the missing goods.
She said: "It might have been a misunderstanding and they thought it was free - although there is a sign on the door explaining how the honesty box works - but nonetheless, they have taken the goods and now they need to be paid for."
Since the incident, Sophie has upgraded her security systems, including installing a Ring doorbell camera inside the honesty box.
