Sunderland hair and beauty salons targeted in spate of burglaries and break-ins

Money was stolen and windows were smashed in a spate of early-morning incidents at salons in Houghton, Washington and Shiney Row.

Police were called to Bootylicious on Eden Terrace, Shiney Row, at around 6.30am on January 3, following a report of a burglary.

An offender had broken the window of the premises overnight but made off empty-handed.

Just over an hour later, at 7.40am on January 3, police were called to a suspected burglary overnight at Beau Dolly Salon on Market Crescent in Houghton-le-Spring.

An offender gained access to the premises and made off with a quantity of money.

Just days later, on January 7, police were called at 8.45am to reports of a burglary at Fifty Shades Hair & Beauty on Spout Lane, Washington.

It was reported that an offender gained access to the address and made off with the cash register.

Then at 5.20am on January 9, police were called to a suspected break-in at The Boundary hair salon on Boundary Houses, Shiney Row. A window had been smashed but nothing is believed to have been taken.

Tools were also stolen from Houghton MOT Centre on Newbottle Street at 1am on Sunday, January 10. Police inquiries are ongoing into all of the incidents.

Detective Sergeant Chris Raper-Smith, of Northumbria Police, said: “We are investigating a spate of burglaries and incidents of criminal damage involving businesses in the Houghton, Washington and Shiney Row areas.

“This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and inquiries are ongoing into each report to ensure those responsible are identified, detained and ultimately brought to justice.

“We have a dedicated burglary team tasked with reviewing all break-ins across Sunderland and South Tyneside who analyse patterns of behaviour and work hand-in-hand with our neighbourhood and response teams to tackle areas of concern.

“We have increased patrols in the respective areas and officers are carrying out a number of inquiries in the area.

“We would continue to ask our communities to get in touch if you see anybody acting suspiciously.

"If you see anything suspicious, please contact us via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101. If a crime is happening or in an emergency, always ring 999.”

If you have any information regarding the four incidents police have released a series of log numbers that can be quoted when contacting the force.

Bootylicious – quote log 116 030121.

Beau Dolly Salon – quote log 138 030121.

Fifty Shades – quote log 153 070121.

The Boundary - quote log 129 090121.

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