Cafe makes mug appeal after 19 'vanish' in a week

A cafe has appealed to people to return their mugs after 19 went missing in a week with staff saying they are "not part of the takeaway menu".

Out of a fresh batch of 45 ordered by the Westport Lake cafe in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, nearly 20 were found to have disappeared over seven days in June.

Co-owner Joanne Upton said, while the police were not called in, it had made a dent in their business and they would look to sell them to "fans" of them, rather than serve in them.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think people would take mugs from a cafe," she admitted.

Upton hoped that by selling them, she might prevent customers thinking they could just sneak them out.

She added: "If you've accidentally adopted one, we'd love to welcome it back home- no judgement, we promise!

She said, during the seven days, she caught one customer pouring out the drink that they had ordered, cleaning the mug with a napkin and appearing to then be about to walk away with it in hand.

"I went and did a 'citizen's arrest," she said jokingly.

One women, who was a customer at the cafe, said she could not understand why they went: "I work in a hospital, we lose remote controls, people take them home - why? I don't know so why do people take things, it's unbelievable, why take mugs?"

While a male customer added: "I like the style, it's homely to hold. But I think we're being mugged off by people selling them."

Upton admitted she had also found other items going missing.

"People steal toilet roll for the toilet all the time, we put a pyramid in the window, and we go in ten minutes later and they have gone," she said.

"If people need toilet rolls that much that's OK, but the cutlery goes missing, we don't know if that's stolen or its going in the bin and salt and peppers go missing".

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