BIZARRE video shows a green-fingered felon ransacking a garden centre for prize plants and saplings.
The hoodie-wearing crook is seen carting off £500-worth of goods from the premises well after closing time.
It’s thought the burglar had visited earlier in the day and identified the young trees and plants he wanted to steal.
The victims of the theft on Thursday night are the Green Welly Garden Centre, Chatteris, Cambs, who only opened their doors seven months ago.
Centre owner Nadia Hobbs, 25, posted the footage, adding: “We are devastated that someone would take from a brand new business while we are trying to get on our feet.”
The footage shows a hooded man walking around the centre and hand picking specific items to steal.
The man can be seen grabbing two saplings and carrying them away before returning for another one.
He is also captured picking up smaller plants and putting them on a trolley which he wheels around the perimeter.
Another clip shows the man packing his overflowing trolley full of stolen goods.
Lucy Howard responded: “So sorry to hear this Nadia! Such cruel people out there!”
Andrew Bowler added: “Sorry to hear this guys. Looks like stolen to order – he’s checking all the labels.”
Elaine Emmett wrote: “What a scumbag! Gutted for you, shame you can’t leave a couple of trained German Shepherds loose on a night!”
Sian Bailey said: “That’s disgusting! I’m a florist and I know how hard running a business is! I hope you find the disgusting human! It looks like he’s stealing something “to order” so must want it himself or have a buyer for it. I wish you all the best.”
Nadia also believes the crook is stealing to order.
She said: “They mostly went for big bay trees and bushes that were higher priced.
“We believe that he was shopping to order, someone had been in before and decided what they wanted. He was just there to get the item. The man came in a stole £500 [worth] of plants.
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Constabulary confirmed the theft of high value plants from the centre.
He said: “An investigation is ongoing, but no arrests have yet been made.”
