CITY centre businesses in Southampton have been targeted in more than 200 raids since the beginning of the year.

Police have confirmed that more than 200 break-ins and thefts have taken place in city centre businesses since January, while his own business has been broken into for the eighth time in less than three years, with thieves stealing a charity collection box and around £400 in cash.

The raiders broke into the Bargate branch of Mettricks coffee shop in Southampton on Saturday night – one of three branches owned by 30-year-old entrepreneur Spencer Bowman – causing around £1,000 worth of damage.

It is the second time this month that the independent café chain has been targeted, and Mr Bowman said there have now been 200 commercial break-ins in the city centre since the start of the year.

He said: “Southampton is suffering really badly.

"I’ve spoken to three other business owners of five other units in the arts complex.

“We’ve now got very large excesses and even our own bank has stopped insuring us.

“They took our change for a collection we were doing for the Society of Saint James which is worth about £200 we think and then they took our cash float as well.

“I’m exhausted. I am seriously contemplating whether Southampton is the place to do business, but I’m determined and I really want to do something good here. The city has got so much to offer.”

He added: “They came in at around one am on Saturday night – they got in through the basement they didn’t even come through the shop.

"They broke the door in and the five locks held but it’s the hinges that gave way.”

The cost of damage to the business in the last three years has been estimated at around £20,000.

Mr Bowman, who employs 54 people in his shops on High Street, Guildhall Walk and Bargate, said: “If crime is higher in Southampton city centre than anywhere else in Hampshire then surely we need to be given more resourcing. There’s a priority.

“We need to have strong leadership to coordinate services – CCTV, street lighting and policing – they all need to be better.”

The business was also targeted June 17 by a homeless man who stole coffee making equipment from the Guildhall branch during a charity event – only to return it with a handwritten apology and a promise of a donation four days later.

Independent coffee shop and live music venue Notes café on Hanover Buildings has also been broken into twice since it opened on February 20, with thieves causing around £2,000 worth of damage.

Southampton City Council leader Simon Letts said: “Southampton City Council is committed to supporting local businesses and creating an environment where they can thrive.

"We listened to independent businesses in implementing PSPOs (Public Space Protection Orders) recently to make the city centre an attractive place for visitors and to help boost the local economy.

"We are also looking into setting up a BID (Business Improvement District) to help raise and spend resources in the city centre and Mettricks are a part of the steering committee.

"Other local BIDs have invested in additional street cleaning, security and events.”

A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said there have been 104 commercial burglaries and 31 attempts since the beginning of the year.

They said the figure of "over 200" quoted by Mr Bowman included thefts where thieves walked into businesses and stole items.

The spokesman added: "Reducing commercial burglaries is a priority. Operation Turbulent is an operation in the city that solely focuses on commercial burglaries.

"We link reports to identify patterns and manage repeatedly targeted locations.

“We have been following up a number of enquiries in relation to the burglaries at Mettricks’ coffee houses. Each report has been linked and fully investigated.

“We are committed to protecting businesses from crime within the city and we do everything we can to make Southampton an enjoyable place to work and live.

“We would always encourage local business owners to install robust security measures to protect their premises and report anything suspicious to 101 or 999 appropriately.

“Through our work with Southampton Businesses Against Crime (SoBAC), we are constantly in communication with business owners, listening to any concerns and taking action, where we can, to reduce crime.

“We are in touch with the owners and we will continue to work with Mettricks and pursue all available lines of enquiry.”