Pub fruit machines hit for £360

1:34pm Tuesday 18th November 2008

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LANDLORDS are urged to be on their guard after two men walked away with more than £360 from three separate pub fruit machines.

The two men, who are described as white, in their mid 20s with dark hair, struck three pubs in Flackwell Heath yesterday afternoon and emptied the machines of change.

Andy Rodbourne, landlord of the Three Horseshoes in The Common said two men walked in around noon: “They came in, ordered a drink and went on the fruit machine.

“I thought it was a bit strange that he was playing with gloves on.”

After they had left Mr Rodbourne checked the machine and found that £180 had gone.

Later in the afternoon, two men with a similar description came into the Cherry Tree in Straight Bit and started playing on the quiz machine.

Landlord Gerry Knowleden said: “It was very busy yesterday and usually I'm on the ball.

“They weren't scruffy, they weren't trouble looking. I watched them for about half an hour.”

Mr Knowleden then left the bar to get ready for a meeting. When he returned he checked the cash register.

He said: “I went to my till and there were lots of pound coins in there.

“I rang my staff and they said, 'Those guys who were in here, they won £40 and changed it.'”

He said that in total £88 had gone from his machine.

The men also took more than £100 from the quiz machine in The Stag in Heath End Road.

Landlord Ben Grierson said: “I've never seen them before. They were hovering over the fruit machine and playing like people do.”

Mr Grierson said that they played for about half-an-hour before leaving. Later in the afternoon he got a call from Gerry Knowleden.

“He called me and said, 'Have you had two guys come in and play on your fruit machine? Is it empty?'

“I said it was and he said, 'It's happened to me as well.'

“I probably wouldn't have noticed it otherwise.”.

He said that he was keen to get the message out so that other landlords could be on their guard: “If more people know about it they can prevent it from happening to anyone else.”