They are seven foot tall and fixed to the ground. But that didn't stop a thief from walking into a pub garden and ripping two gas heaters from their fittings in full sight of passing rush hour traffic.
The heaters had been installed by The Westbourne pub in Brynmill as part of the business’s garden expansion to help continue trading when the previous coronavirus lockdown rules began to be relaxed.
And while they have proved helpful in encouraging continued custom, pub managers now have to look for alternatives, while they appeal for information about those who walked away with their property.
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Manager Mark Lingwood said: “As if times aren’t hard enough for everyone at the moment, it seems some people still feel it’s ok to steal from struggling businesses.
“Last Thursday evening someone took it upon themselves to steal the lovely new additions to our beer garden.
“Two of our patio heaters were ripped from the ground and loaded into the back of a van parked on Phillips Parade during peak rush hour."
"We were up the road at the time when someone called us to tell us they had seen someone moving them and did we know anything about it.
"They took two of the three we bought to help us get through winter, although I suspect we're going to face further lockdown measures ahead.
"They weigh about 15kg and it takes two of us to carry them in. I hope whoever did it put his back out".
Find out about crime in your area
The pub has released CCTV which shows a man lifting up the patio heaters and carrying them away.
A spokesman for South Wales Police said: “We are appealing for information after the theft of two patio heaters from Brynymor Road at about 6pm on October 29.
“The area would have been busy at the time and the items difficult to move so we are appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious to contact 101”.
Alternatively, information can be reported online or by email at publicservicecentre@south-wales.pnn.police.uk quoting occurrence 2000394681
