Business owners at a Bulwell shopping centre say they have been left "devastated" after thieves broke into it last night causing thousands of pounds of damage.
The Banks Yard shopping mall is home to six shops including a hair salon and a tattoo parlour, as well as a cafe ran by Chris Bower, 32.
He said: "Last night the police called us at 11pm to tell us there had been a break-in and straight away we all came down to see what had been done.
"The first thing we noticed is that the big gates at the entrance had been bust open which was so upsetting because they were only installed by Nottingham City Council a couple of months ago to improve security and make the area look tidy.
"The thieves had broken into the back of the bookies and they didn't actually take anything - but at the minute we're looking at around £20,000 worth of damage.
"It's devastating when something like this happens because it's a real community here and we all work hard to feed our families so this has left us feeling really hurt.
"We've done so much to make this area look nice like planting flowers around the different shops and we do it for the community. This is a nice part of Bulwell to live and this is just so upsetting."
The owners of all the stores at the centre have now clubbed together to offer a £500 reward for anyone who has any information about the incident.
Mr Bower added: "We just don't want this happening again because we all work hard day and night and to wake up and find that something like this has happened to something you put your life into is heartbreaking."
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that there was a break-in last night at 10.50pm at Banks Yard in Bulwell.
"We are now investigating and anyone with any information or who witnessed the break-in should call 101 quoting incident number 1010 of the 18th of October."
