Felpham have-a-go-hero apprehends suspect just a day after his café is burgled

Billy Nash, who has run Deligo in Felpham Road for seven months, said it had been the ‘weirdest week’ of his life.

The 26-year-old went into his café as normal last Monday and only realised he had been burgled when he opened the till to find it empty.

His supply of bacon and sausages, which he gets specially delivered from London, had also been taken from a freezer.

He believes the thief must have pushed their way in through a window but Mr Nash, who lives directly behind the shop with his wife Ria, said he had not heard any noise.

Luckily his two children were not there at the time. “I couldn’t imagine how I would have felt if they had been there,” he said.

He said such thefts had a big impact on small businesses like his.

“It’s horrible,” he said. “You think to yourself, I work seven days a week all my life to try and make some kind of future. Someone comes along and just doesn’t care.”

Mr Nash was just getting over the incident when the following night, as he lay in bed, he heard an alarm go off and went to investigate.

When he found someone he suspected of trying to break into Milestones car garage, he sprang into action, detaining the man until the police arrived at the scene.

Mr Nash said he had been praised by his neighbours. “A few of them have come in and said thank you,” he said.

“It’s proper welcoming around here, it’s quite close. Everyone is really supportive.”

Mr Nash was still struck by the timing of the two incidents.

“What are the odds? You couldn’t write it,” he said. “It’s been the weirdest week of my life.”

It comes after several other burglaries were reported at businesses around the Felpham area.

Sussex Police confirmed it was called to a tyre garage in Felpham Road, Bognor, at just before 10.30pm last Tuesday, following the activation of a burglary alarm.

On arrival, officers discovered a member of the public detaining a man, police said.

A 33-year-old man, of no fixed address, was arrested on suspicion of burglary other than dwelling with intent to steal, threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place and two counts of burglary other than dwelling, police said.

He has been released on police bail until March 16.

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