Free ice cream day CANCELLED after burglars ransack Coventry diner

Spangles had been due to give free desserts to people in Coventry City shirts to celebrate club's Wembley win



An independent business owner has been left devastated after her Coventry diner was ransacked by thieves.

Spangles diner was due to serve free ice cream to happy Sky Blues fans today but has had to turn them away after thousands of pounds worth of damage was done.

Kelly Iles, owner of Spangles in Fargo village, has been forced to cancel the planned Sky Blue day after arriving at her shop to find the front window smashed and the place turned upside down.

“We were trying to do something good. I don’t even know what to do.

“I have been turning away customers all morning, I have had to. People have been turning up in their Coventry City shirts.”

Iphones, speakers and all of the money out of the till, including the pennies, were stolen from the diner in the early hours of this morning.

CCTV footage shows a thief smashing the window of the shop and breaking into the diner at around 12.30am today.

Kelly added: “I have got CCTV footage, I got broken into at 12.30am, they have torn right through.

“They smashed through the window, they have taken every single coin out of my till even down to the coppers.”

When Kelly was told about the damage to the window she didn’t know how bad the situation was.

She said: “Somebody on site at Fargo village called me at about 8.30am and said the front window had been smashed.

“We didn’t think anyone had got in because the hole is quite small, we are talking a small person who has got through the hole.

"I could see that the door was locked and there was just a small hole so I didn’t think they had taken anything until we got inside.”

Kelly is currently trying to organise for the window to be repaired and has been told it needs to be boarded up and will then cost £2,000 to fix.



Although there is evidence on site of the break-in, Kelly claims that the police will not be coming out to get it.

She added: “We waited two hours for the police.

"They said they weren’t going to attend, they are not coming to get fingerprints. We have got fingerprints, they've left footprints behind and there is CCTV but the police are not treating it as a priority.

“I was a priority at first, and then I called back two hours later and I wasn’t anymore, they said they downgraded it.

“It’s not a priority to them but it is to me.

“It’s personal, my phone with pictures on with my kids, my business and my livelihood. I work so goddamn hard. They have gone through every drawer.

“I wanted the police coming out here, there’s evidence here, there’s CCTV footage.

“I want them to come and reassure me that they are going to find the person who did this and they won’t even come.

“I am a woman, I am on my own, I have worked hard for Coventry, I was trying to do something to celebrate the great thing that happened on Sunday.”

A few hours after speaking to the Telegraph, Kelly was visited by police who took finger prints and other evidence.

West Midlands Police have been contacted for a statement and a response to Kelly’s claims.

I would've thought that with the evidence the police would be delighted to add to their clear up rate?

Dont be silly Rebbonk they only find it crime and exciting if they are chasing cars as one told me years ago when I called them out in a car acciedent the bloke had wrote my car off hitting me and was trying to leave with out giving his insurance details.

Christmas is cancelled! Diner calls off breakfast with Santa after break in



Coventry’s American Diner, Spangles, has had to cancel their Breakfast with Santa event after they were broken into.

It is the second time this year that the diner has been hit by thieves, but they feel they can’t contact the police because they didn’t come out until three days later, last time.

In April, the diner was ransacked, leaving owner Kelly Iles to cancel Sky Blues Day when Coventry City played at Wembley.

She arrived at her shop to find the front window smashed and the place turned upside down.

But, just months later, she has been hit again, but won’t tell police because she fears they won’t come out.

Kelly said: “They came three days after to take the CCTV and see if they could get finger prints.

“There have been five break ins now at Fargo this year, me twice, Urban coffee shop, Flying full circle and David Charles Jewellery - all in the same area.

“They were too busy and I was not a priority they said sadly that’s same in almost every city in UK it’s not Coventry police fault it’s just the sad state of current affairs.

“I under stand that there understaffed and under budget but I’ve not bothered to report this as I don’t need crime reference as I can’t claim on insurance.”

Kelly has been left angered by the latest break in, which took place on Wednesday, and she has been forced to cancel another event due to the theft.

She has had stolen a heavy 100x 75cm grill, two Bain Marie’s, a shaved ice machine, three hot plates and igloo cool boxes from the outdoor gazebo area.

She added: “It takes two to three people to lift the grill, and it was chained to the wall and they have cut it off.

“I do not know how they did it.

“I had a business in Leamington for ten years but have had nothing but problems here.

“But, what doesn’t break us, makes us stronger, that is our philosophy.

“We have had to cancel the Breakfast with Santa because all the equipment we need for it has gone, and we can’t afford to pay out before Christmas.

“I am angry to think someone can come and take stuff that you work hard for.”

One of Coventry’s most popular eateries has shut up shop and is returning to its Leamington roots



Spangles American Diner proved a hit at FarGo Village , where it wowed customers with its famous ‘freakshakes’ and much more besides.

The restaurant opened in Coventry in 2015, having started out in Leamington.

In September Spangles, an award-winner at the 2016 Coventry Telegraph Business Awards, said it planned to relocate its operation from FarGo to Coventry city centre and said it would be expanding in the process.

Although the location of the proposed new Coventry location was not revealed Spangles said the 120-cover venue would be called Nelly’s Kitchen and would be “10 x the size of our current diner”.

Spangles started life in Leamington and expanded to Coventry on the back of its success.

Now the operation is set to return there having announced it had spent its last day trading at FarGo Village on January 7.

The restaurant has remained tight-lipped on the location of its new Leamington operation but is already starting to advertise events taking place there from February onwards.

The new venture is being billed as Spangles Tea Room and is specialising in the kind of themed tea party events it was already running at FarGo Village.

£2000 to reglaze that that door is ridiculous, if she wants to save money I would do it for £1800. I had to do a similar job on my caravan, toughend glass for the door cost £72 and my labour was free.
I just cannot understand why she cannot claim on her insurance.
Police will only respond if there is a chance of catching someone but all crime should be reported as it can create a pattern of crime