Vandals have targeted the Bus Café in Margate twice in just one day (December 19).
At around 4am an attempt was made to break into the vehicle but this was unsuccessful.
But then this evening, at around 6.30pm, vandals cracked the main window, tore off the Sun Deck sign and caused other damage, possibly using a brick.
The bus, which is based at Nayland’s Royal Crescent Promenade, is run by Simon Lindley, wife Jodie Ellena-Lindley and couple Xander Muir and Lois Du Plessis.
The business had just finished trading today and closed for the Christmas break. It is due to reopen on January 6 but the owners now face a bill for thousands to replace the cracked main window.
Jodie said: “It’s been really tough enough this past month with cancellations and basically haemorrhaging money as no one wants to come out due to this virus..
“We took £126 on Saturday. That’s literally unheard of and now we’ll have to figure out how to pay for another window due to absolute idiotic behaviour.
“Simon was there with police this evening and said it looks like whoever did it has taken a brick to the front window and tried to smash through it. Then they vandalised the sun deck sign
This kind of vandalism will cost us thousands of pounds. We are so angry and so upset that our business has yet again been a focus of attack of mindless behaviour.
“If anyone saw anything or knows who did it please come forward.”
Anyone with information can contact Kent Police on 101. The crime reference is 46/261129/21
Some people are beyond vile.
just another day in paradise , what say you marva ?
So sad to hear this, it’s such a lovely cafe and the owners are great. Our small businesses are facing a nightmare right now – this seems a particularly low blow.
What is wrong with these idiots? There has been a bit of violent behaviour going on after dark in that area lately, especially along that section of promenade. People being attacked by others with knives too.
I hope a windscreen can be sourced at a reasonable price. It may be an idea to get alarms with bright lights and cameras up along with wire reinforced covers for the windows now. An expense but what else can they do to protect it?
I don’t remember reading about these knife attacks here-is there a media blackout on these stories?
There’s loads of attacks all along the sea front I wish the Margate police force had a pair of balls, and arrested the scum along the seafront, they getting away with everything the police just don’t care, I have to pay taxes, for this not funny
Get a few of you to stay there overnight with cctv and catch them in the act. mindless scum.
Everywhere you go now you hear young people with drill music going into their ears. It’s really not a good influence on their mindset when they don’t come from that lifestyle. Pushes them towards violence, weopan carrying and acts like this
Oh yeah it’s the music..oh really it’s mindless behaviour full stop I can’t stand drill music not at my age..but music isn’t or doesn’t make vandals vandals its just sad sick people..
I think that person who made the comment about the music was just voicing an opinion. Scientifically there could be some facts there. However, we live in “a not so friendly place” any more, and by being rude to another simply proves the level of respect people have for one another. It’s just someone’s innocent opinion.
In the 50s they blamed Bill Haley for inciting violence!
Yes, we had video nasties, rap music, video games, WWF wrestling, Rambo, Child’s Play, Hell Raiser & various other things being blamed for things like Hungerford, the Bulger murder, London Nail Bomber etc from the 1980’s, still happening today from defence lawyers. Ed Sullivan wouldn’t let Elvis be filmed from the waist down for fear of corrupting society, made The Doors & Stones change drug/sexual lines from their songs etc when performing on his show.
Would this be the same people who used the marine drive shelter partying their playing loud music recently this shelter was vandalized by girls but never got caught they also used as a toilet.i hope they can find another window I am surprised they haven’t started on the other shelter. The lighting along there is non existent on that Promanade only two sturgeon lamps by the shelter only one works now hopefully these morons haven’t tried to damage that I hope the bus owners can get up and running ASAP that area of the promenade can be open to idiots like these morons whoever owns the whole sight needs to provide better security.
Comment from the Police please?
Very sad to hear this, we need a way to help you back into business. To many local small businesses struggling
I’d imagine the cctv by the Turner, which apparently picks up activity as far as Barnes Car Park in Westbrook (according to a local official) might pick this activity up – if it’s to be used for anything useful. But lighting is poor as Brian says. Very sad to hear.
Very sad that these idiots can get away with this type of behaviour. Its getting worse and the smell of dope hangs in the air in thanet.
I hope your business is going to be ok, your excess on your insurance for the window is a lot, but good luck
Dope although not a pleasant smell generally doesn’t lead to acts of violence & vandalism. Alcohol & a hooligan mentality often does.
I’ve generally found that potheads (those who smoke dope) are lazy and unreliable, but far from violent and aggressive.
Yes, it tends to make people relaxed & happy. The vast majority ending up in A&E through violence-either as victims, perpetrators, people face-planting, liver problems etc is from alcohol consumption.
Peter don’t be so hard on yourself. I assume you smoke pot as in most of your post you come across as you are high…..
I’m staunch anti-drugs after seeing what it did to former friends. I do however enjoy the occasional glass of Leroy Domaine d’Auvenay Batard-Montrache.
How shit must your life be, that a broken window makes you feel better?
All of you need to shut the hell up because none of you have the right to comment about anything this country doesn’t belong to you are anyone it is a free country for people to has they please within reason
Eh?
I’m afraid I didn’t understand a word of that.
Mark – I suggest to brush up your command of English language as I also did not understand your post.
Have a glass of water and a lie down Mark
So sorry that commenting on criminal behaviour on an open comments section so upsets you. You must condone this kind of behaviour then?
The reason for all this is very simple. The law is too soft and “punishments” too lenient. They laugh at us because some woke liberal leftie will be there to protect their human rights and treat them as the victims rather than as the perpetrators. No, it has nothing to do with the pandemic, unemployment, race, gender or bad parenting. It is the leniency of the justice system. Wake up and smell the coffee.
I despair! Mindless yobs!
My neighbour had his window smashed yesterday by a brick too, not too far from the seafront near the station, was some kids I caught it on my CCTV, same people maybe? If so it wasn’t an attempted break in just mindless vandalism
Heya, Jodie here from The Bus Café. First off thank you everyone for your support, we’ve been so overwhelmed with how amazing our community is. Also if you have any information please can you contact us at [email protected] or the police crime ref number in the article? that CCTV footage could really reallyhelp us! The police are investigating oth our cases as a joint case… Thank you! X
Sadly the Police won’t do anything even if these vile people are caught. IMO the Police need to wake up and smell the coffee.
I agree, John 558. Although the police are all part of the justice system that fails us. They take their directions from the Home Office, after all.
They are very busy with diversity training.
Busy with diversity training? Sadly, this is very true. The very opposite of American cops who think they are John Wayne with their guns.
The days of a clip round the ear are gone, replaced by a lack of visibility all round. When did you last see a policeman?
On foot? Cannot remember. See plenty cruising around in cars.
Very true Steve.
I think at last we are agreeing on sonething
There are other Steve’s here-so probably them. I am always right, so it cannot be me.
No one mentioned it could be a competitor!
As Carly Jeffrey says this is a pretty low blow, one naturally feels sympathy for the business owners and hopes they have CCTV in place to identify whoever is responsible for the vandalism.
I can’t help but note that some of the comments in this thread are based on little more than a heady soup of anger and ignorance.
Britain has an extensive list of laws that deal with criminal damage such as this, we do not have a lenient criminal justice system, we have a quite punitive criminal justice system that jails many more people than it did half a century ago, when the prison population was in the region of 50,000 now it is in excess of 80,000.
What we can look at is the ability of the police to tackle crime, that has taken a hit in the last decade as police numbers have been cut by at least 20,000 in that time by a government that has chosen to reduce public services such as policing.
Of course that is coupled with a reduction in expenditure by local authorities, who themselves have had budgets cut to the bone as central government has withdrawn support that formed the bulk of local government expenditure a decade ago, yet now has been almost withdrawn completely. You can’t expect to close down community support and have no consequences. Sadly that is exactly what those who voted in this corrupt government are asking people to accept.
“This corrupt government” isn’t the reason these mindless yobs smashed up the bus cafe… or do you think they wouldn’t have done it if we’d all voted for Corbyn?
John L Gibson accuses people like me of anger and ignorance because we judge the justice system to be not fit for purpose. The problem of feral youth and crime has many layers but the most significant is leniency on the part of police and the courts. Quite often these criminals are savvy enough to avoid being caught and, certainly, the police prove to be mainly ineffective. Drugs and stabbings are also elements in this and prove to be too big for the police to handle.
Punishments? How about executing the killers of defenseless toddlers? Parliament is terrified at the thought of holding a referendum on capital punishment and I suspect Parliament would collapse at the result.
Life should mean life and prisoners should not be allowed access to phones nor be given the vote. In short, their rights should be severely curtailed.
Population of England half a century ago was approximately 52 million, population as of 2020 was over 67 million and growing rapidly. The bigger the population the bigger the prison population.
The vast majority of the the general public quite rightly believe that our justice system is too lenient. The police catch the criminals and the CPS does their best to keep the criminals in the community free to commit more crimes, continue their anti social behaviour and ruin the neighbourhoods they populate.
Do you actually live in an area that is blighted by antisocial behaviour ? Do you have to live with feral kids and wannabe gangsters making your life a misery on a daily basis ? Do you get to listen to these thugs bragging about how the police are virtually powerless to stop them ? The reality is that community sentencing is not a deterrent to the wannabe gangsters and unfortunately prison is not the hellhole it should be.
I know a lot of people in the police force and they are sick of arresting the same people time and time again only for the courts to give them another chance to reoffend.
You can live in your bubble and believe that hugging a hoodie will stop Them from entering a life of crime but you’ve only got yourself to blame when one of them then robs you and kicks the crap out of you and then laughs while his mates record the violence and goad him on laughing and joking while you cry in pain, sound far fetched ? Not in modern Britain where the criminals really do believe they are untouchable
Peter Checksfield, this “corrupt government” has removed the support that provided things such as youth services, youth clubs and the like. It is the austerity that this “corrupt government” has imposed on public services that has left the gaps that young people fall through, that then lead to petty crime such as vandalism.
Your comment suggests you voted for this corrupt government, I struggle to grasp why, they have not enriched your life in your bedsit have they ?
As well as being surrounded by beaches and large parks (something I never had growing up in 60s/70s Old Kent Road), I believe that the same organisation I joined as a youth still exists:
http://www.thanetscouts.org.uk/
Why 😥 Hard working people trying to make a living in these very hard times and this happens. It’s mindless and thoughtless. Very sad indeed 😡
No doubt this will be far right skinheads with nothing better to do. Tarquin and His mates. Middle class Brexit voters with nothing better to do and not brought up to respect belongings…. Anti-vaxers…. The sort that go to a restaurant on Christmas Day…. Probably voter Tory as well….
This summary is ridiculous as blaming it on drill music and being casually racist….