York Gin thief ends up with water after shop window smash

A thief who smashed a shop window to steal three bottles of gin only escaped with a cocktail of water and vinegar.

The man was filmed smashing the glass display at York Gin, in the city centre, on 23 January and reaching inside for the drinks.

Those who work at the shop, on Pavement, said he must have missed the sign reading: "All display bottles contain water."

Police appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.

Staff said the window had been decorated with painted hearts ahead of the upcoming York Residents' Festival.

Jenny O'Hara-McRandal, York Gin head of retail, said: "Two of our main windows have been broken, they thought they had stolen gin - none of our gin on the shop floor is real."

She continued: "It made me feel disappointed because the whole point of the residents' weekend is about love for the city.

"In that moment I didn't really feel love."

She concluded: "It could have been a lot worse, but it is a little bit of a gut punch really.

"I had been in since 06:30 in the morning on Monday putting the 'I love York' windows in, so all the hard work had been destroyed."

The firm, located in a 16th Century building, said the smashed glass will take time to replace and will not be ready for the weekend event.

North Yorkshire Police said the theft took place at about 23:00 GMT.

A force spokesman said: "Officers are asking members of the public to get in touch if they recognise the person in the footage as they believe they will have information that will help the investigation.

"Although the person's face cannot be seen in this footage, they are hoping someone may recognise them from their movements or clothing."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].