A Whangārei cafe is warning other businesses to secure their gas cylinders, after being left out of pocket when its large LPG cylinder was stolen.
Pure Cafe on Kaka St had to turn customers away for a time on Wednesday last week because it had no gas for cooking, after a 45kg cylinder was stolen overnight.
It was the second stolen from the street in two months, with neighbouring business Kia Tupato also having one taken in October.
Cafe co-owner Brendan Moore thought whoever was taking the gas cylinders was selfishly targeting small businesses.
“It just comes straight out of our own pocket. It’s a pain, especially in a recession.”
Moore said he noticed early on Wednesday morning the gas wasn’t working and found one of the cafe’s LPG cylinders was missing from its cage outside.
Customers usually rent two cylinders at a time from their supplier, so one is available when the other one is empty.
Moore said the offenders got through a locked pool fence and took the full cylinder, leaving the empty one despite this being easier to access.
“It sounds like they knew what they were doing.”
It is the first time Pure Cafe has had any problems with theft since starting in August 2020.
Moore said supplier Gas & Tyre Whangārei were able to replace the stolen gas cylinder straight away, so the cafe could get on with cooking for its customers.
But it still cost several hundred dollars to replace the cylinder, plus the expense of buying a heavy chain and padlock to ensure the gas cylinders now stay put.
Co-owner Angela Clements said it wasn’t worth claiming insurance on the theft but it was frustrating.
The offenders appeared to have taken their time, she said.
“The scary thing for me was that they needed a key to get in, they took the safety chain off the bottles, turned the other bottle off, put the safety chain back and locked the gate: it’s a bit weird and a little disconcerting.”
Traffic management and security company Kia Tupato, next door to Pure Cafe, also had its full gas cylinder stolen on the night of October 11.
Traffic management operations manager Anahera Haami-Stokes said the theft wasn’t noticed until the next day, when one of their team members went to take a shower and found the water was cold.
Its supplier, Rockgas, was able to provide a replacement cylinder straight away but it still cost $270.
Haami-Stokes also said the theft was inconvenient and not worth claiming on insurance, but Kia Tupato has also installed a heavy chain and padlock.
Gas & Tyre Whangārei had four customers whose LPG gas bottles had been stolen in the past four months, and knows of other thefts through other suppliers, said store manager Greg Dolan.
“I have heard of it becoming an increasing problem.”
The gas cylinders are worth about $350 each and hold $150 worth of LPG, so Dolan thought they were being sold for scrap metal.
He encouraged customers to make sure their cylinders are locked up securely, such as with a chain and padlock or with a secure cage, and to have a CCTV camera covering the area.
Northland police confirmed in a statement two reports about the theft of gas cylinders from Kaka St have been received in the past couple of months.
After exhausting all avenues of inquiry, the cases have been filed but police remain open to looking into new lines of inquiry if they come to light.
Police did not say if theft of gas cylinders occur regularly but encouraged businesses to ensure all property is secured.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.