BURGLARS crept through a vent to steal cash and alcohol from a Southbourne café.

Café Riva manager Becky Green said the pair of raiders, a man and a woman, "looked like they were on some sort of drugs" as they were caught on CCTV prying the cover off the vent in the shop's wall.

The raid took place just before midnight on Wednesday, in Boscombe Overcliff Drive.

"They moved an oil drum and other things away from the cover and took it off, then the man crawled in while the woman waited outside to look out," she said.

"He tried to get into the bar till, which he couldn't. Then he spent about 20 minutes until he managed to get into the deli till.

"He took a tip box and a bottle of gin on the way out.

"It didn't seem like they were in a hurry."

Ms Green said the break-in was very frustrating for staff at the café, as they had made every reasonable effort to make the place secure.

"From my point of view it looked like they were drunk or were on some sort of drugs, the way they were moving around," she said.

"Police and forensics came in and took our CCTV, which was very good. We are hoping they will be known to them.

"It is very frustrating, all our doors have security and we have an alarm, thought we had everything covered, them someone crawls in through the vent.

"We shouldn't really have to think about things like that, it is ridiculous that people think they can just take things that aren't theirs."

The cafe has suffered a previous break-in this year, and another last year. In one, Ms Green said "some kids" had used a bar to pry open the door to their storage garage to steal cider.

Dorset Police are investigating the offence.

A spokesman said: "Police received a report at around 10.15am yesterday, Thursday, May 25, of a burglary at a premises in Boscombe Overcliff Drive, Southbourne.

"It is believed that a quantity of cash and a bottle of spirits was taken.

"No arrests have been made at this stage and investigations are continuing."

Contact the force with information on 101 quoting incident number 25:138.