THE burglary of a community café at a residential care home is a case for a real life Sherlock Holmes.

Thieves are believed to have used a spade to prise out the entire window frame from Sherlock’s shop at Bowburn Care Centre in Durham Road, Bowburn.

The room is used a self-funding convenience store for residents and staff and stock as well as hundreds of pounds worth of gardening equipment from outside was stolen.

Pictures of the fictional detective adorn the walls, and now staff hope someone who knows those behind the break-in will alert police.

Centre manager Susan Hogg said: “Everyone thinks it’s appalling that burglars would target a care home.

“Most of our residents can’t get out and about so they really look forward to visiting the shop in the day centre to buy themselves a little treat.”

The burglary was last Monday, September 5, and an ambulance crew returning a patient from hospital late at night disturbed an intruder who fled, dropping part of his haul, when he was caught in the vehicle’s headlights.

Items stolen include toiletries, confectionery, snacks and soft drinks worth about £200.

Thieves had also stolen garden tools including a lawnmower, strimmer, hedgecutter and shredder from a shed in the grounds.

The home has since been inundated with donations for the shop from relatives, friends and local businesses.

The campaign to restock the shop gathered pace after news about the raid was posted on Facebook by taxi controller Sandra Leonard, whose mother Mary Young, aged 91, is a resident at the home.

She said: “We were absolutely disgusted to think anyone could do this to vulnerable old people. The response has been uplifting.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101.