URGENT calls for CCTV have been made after claims Manningtree town centre has become a hot-spot for burglaries.

Sue Brown, who owns Chez Sue hair salon, in The Lane, Manningtree, said she believes crooks are targeting the town after ten burglaries in the past eight months.

Two shops were raided last week, and Sue’s salon was broken into last month.

The 55-year-old said she had arrived to open the salon on the morning of December 21 to find the bottom part of the front door had been kicked in.

Raiders had cleared out the till and stolen all of the staff tips and a number of products, such as hair straighteners.

Damage and cash taken totalled £3,000. But she said the damage to businesses in the town as a whole was much greater.

“I know two businesses have been hit in the last week alone,” she said.

“We’ve now had ten burglaries of businesses in the High Street in the last eight months and we need something done.

“Manningtree High Street has become a hot-spot for burglaries.”

Sue added she had never had the need for a burglar alarm in her 17 years in the town, but has now had to install a camera and an alarm.

She is now calling for extra CCTV cameras for the town.

“These people are getting away with it,” she said.

“We’ve got four security cameras in the town – two aimed at Market Square, one pointed going out of town and finally one at the estate agent.

“I’ve spoken to all the people affected and they’ve all said if we need to dip our hands in our pockets to pay to at least have these cameras moved to better positions on the High Street, then we will.

“This is my business. I’ve had it so long I’m heremore than I’m home, so I feel really violated and very uneasy.

“Ultimately, it’s because we now don’t have a police presence – this is the biggest issue.

“When we had the PCSOs walking around and patrolling, this wasn’t a problem.

“They think ‘let’s go hit Manningtree because we knowwe can get away with it and no one is going to do anything’.”

An Essex Police spokesman said crooks had broken into Cafe Rio and The Wholefood Store, in High Street, Manningtree, overnight on January 13, taking cash from both stores.

Anyone with information should call police on 101.