A café owner says she is struggling to stay afloat - after being burgled more than 50 times in just four years.

Stephanie Morgan, 45, who has run Stephanie's SE21 in Dulwich, south London since July 2021, estimates she has lost thousands of pounds thanks to the "constant" break-ins. "

The mum-of-one says thieves have repeatedly trashed her cafe, stolen her furniture, drinks, and food, and even simply "emptied out" her freezer- including taking 100 Magnum ice creams."

Ms Morgan installed some pricey security cameras, smoke bombs, shock sensors, and outdoor sensors which all alerted police - and put a brief pause to the burglaries.

However, the cameras were eventually disarmed and within 24 hours someone tried to break in again.

The owner has now installed 15 cameras of her own and refurbished the entire café with new menus to try and make it a more profitable business.

But, a week after the refurbishment was completed there were two more break ins, which completely destroyed their new outside storage areas and stole all their stock.

Now, the owner says she has started to feel defeated and doesn't know what more she can do to save her business.

She has reported some of the break ins to the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating. But so far there has been no convictions.

Ms Morgan said: "People just jump over the fence. It has been constant. "

"They smash in and steal the furniture and decorations. Because it is an outdoor café, I have fridges and freezers outside and they would smash up all the storage areas."

"It feels like no matter what I do it just doesn't seem to be enough."

"I don't want to let the café go. I want to do everything that I can to save it."

Ms Morgan built the cafe back in April 2021 for her dad who had been diagnosed with cancer- transforming an abandoned car park by Belair Park into a beloved community spot.

She says that their location near the park makes them an easy target for burglars as it gets very dark at night and there are no people around.

The owner says there have been more than 50 burglaries in the four years they have been running, with two in the last week alone.

Since the structure is only temporary, Ms Morgan has been unable to insure her business and is having to pay for all the lost stock and damage out of her own pocket.

She has also lost revenue after she reluctantly stopped serving alcohol - as this stock was a particular target.

Ms Morgan said: "It is such a low profit margin café. I have never taken any money from the café, I am always just putting more money in. "

"It is so time consuming to run the business. In July I thought that I had to either let the café go or invest into it even further. So, I used all my personal money to fund a refurbishment."

"It is not so much the value of the items that they take but the impact on our growth. It has had a huge financial impact on the business and me personally. "

"I have had to fund it out of my own resources and there is only so far that I can stretch. It has got to the point where the business could bankrupt me."

Ms Morgan also runs a juice business called Raw and Juicy which she hasn't been able to dedicate any time to through all the stress.

The owner has now started a fundraising page as a last resort to help out, which has already raised over £600.

She added: "When I have spoken to the community about the possibility of the café not being here anymore, they always express how much it means to them. It is really the heart of West Dulwich. "

"It is a community café so anything that I can do to secure it and grow it I will do. I am not going to give it up."

The Metropolitan Police said: "Officers are continuing to investigate two burglaries at a café in West Dulwich."

"Police were called to the premises on Thurlow Park Road, SE21 shortly after 3am on Thursday, 18 September following an alert from a burglary alarm."

"Officers attended within five minutes of the alert. When carrying out enquiries, the victim's reported a separate burglary which occurred on Tuesday, 16 September."

"Enquiries remain ongoing and no arrests have been made at this stage."

Donate to Stephanie here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ae3bpv-help-save-our-cafe