Heating oil stolen from The Lion pub in Stoke by Clare

On Friday, November 3, Jackie Williams, who runs The Lion in Stoke by Clare with her daughter Sophie, discovered that almost 500 litres of heating oil, which had been delivered just two weeks before and cost about £420, had been taken.

Ms Williams said a customer told her after that they had seen a white tanker in the car park at about 8am on Tuesday, October 31, but had assumed it was an order for the pub.

Inside The Lion, Stoke by Clare (Image: Jackie Williams)

The incident was reported to Suffolk police, but a spokesperson said all reasonable enquiries have been exhausted and the case will now be filed pending any new information that identifies a suspect.

Ms Williams, still no closer to finding out who stole from the pub which re-opened its doors on September 8, said: "It could be somebody that popped into the pub for a drink, and that is unnerving. 

"I do feel very let down and I do feel like we have been a little bit targeted and it is really upsetting. It has knocked me for six." 

Sophie and Jackie Williams, who run The Lion (Image: Newsquest)

The Lion closed after the discovery, which was made by an engineer who came to look at the boiler, and the pub was unable to serve food on Saturday. 

Ms Williams has now spent about £5,000 on a gate, reinforced fencing around the tank itself and CCTV in a bid to secure the site. 

The boiler and pump system will also need replacing. 

"We have had to take drastic action because we don't want to become a target again," she said. 

"All of the hard work we put in to open and the hard work we've been putting in since we have opened feels wasted.

"The money we started to claw back to recoup into it has now gone again.

"We've worked for the last 13 weeks for nothing and it is heart-breaking."

Ms Williams said they have seen great support from the community including donations via the village shop and football team, which total about £200. 

A resident has also set up a GoFundMe page to support the pub.