Owner of Quality Eats café in Bury St Edmunds on Moreton Hall estate left dismayed after vandalism and littering incident

The owner of an independent café has been left dismayed and frustrated after daffodils were destroyed and wooden planks were smashed at her shop overnight.

It is the first time Danie Curd, 31, has experienced any incidents of vandalism at her business since opening Quality Eats on the Moreton Hall estate in Bury St Edmunds in October 2023.

Aside from the vandalism, which was sometime overnight from Saturday to Sunday, a number of bins at the end of a nearby footpath in Lawson Place were also pushed over with bin bags thrown or opened.

Danie, who lives in Thurston, said: “It’s really frustrating and disappointing to be honest.

“It’s a big positive that nobody has been hurt but it has made me feel quite uneasy now.

“It’s really disheartening because I’m a small independent business owner and I started this business in lockdown from my small kitchen at home to save money to get this.

“I know it’s just an inconvenience and it is what it is, but it’s really not a nice feeling.”

Following the vandalism, Danie was flooded with calls on Sunday morning, including from the manager of The Moreton Hall pub, Lewis Cocks, who had cleared up the spilled rubbish spread across their car park and in the area.

Smashed wooden planks outside Quality Eats had additionally caused nails and wood chippings to scatter.

When Danie arrived at the shop, she was greeted by the Moreton Hall Residents’ Association who were doing a litter pick and had already begun clearing up the debris.

“People have been so lovely and I am so grateful to everyone who has contacted me or shown support,” Danie said.

“The community support is so good at Moreton Hall. The fact that people really care is a huge positive and it’s very comforting.

“It was my first-ever interaction with Lewis so I very much appreciated him reaching out and letting me know he’d walked around my shop to make sure there was no broken glass.”

Danie has also thanked Liam Suttle, the owner of Fencing Fellas, who said he will remove all the damaged items, make new wooden planters and will plant new flowers ready for spring.

“Liam is a friend from primary school and I feel very lucky to have so many kind people in this community like him,” she said.