BURGLARS struck at Beatson House restaurant in Cawthorne on Monday night in the latest incident of increased crime in rural communities to the west of Barnsley.

On the same night, the restaurant's owners were told there had been two other raids in the same area, including an attack on a farm in South Lane where a quad bike was taken.

The restaurant break-in was described as a "professional job" by owner Simon Cockayne, who took over the business with his wife Nikki late last year from long-time owners Anita and Andy Gardener, with the alarm system knocked out and minimal disturbance as the intruders looked for cash.

They got in through a window at the back of the restaurant, in Darton Road, and although the alarm went off they were able to silence it before taking the cash float and tips money which had been due to be distributed among staff.

However, there was no damage to the restaurant itself and it opened as normal on Tuesday evening, with the Cockaynes receiving hundreds of emails of support after telling customers of the incident via social media.

Mr Cockayne praised the response from South Yorkshire Police, with a scenes of crime officer arriving shortly after the burglary was discovered.

Mr Cockayne said: "We have been quite fortunate and have brushed it off, but the biggest tragedy was that they got the staff tip pot.

"We don't know what was in it, but it was meant for the staff. They also got our petty cash, which we think would have been a few hundred pounds.

"They probably caused more damage getting in than in what was stolen.

"It was a professional job, they wore gloves and went straight to search drawers and the till. PCs (computers) on the desks were not touched."

The restaurant itself was completely unaffected and was back trading on Tuesday evening, he said.

In December a Christmas tree was stolen from outside the front of the restaurant and was later tracked down to a location in Barugh Green in an incident Mr Cockayne put down to drunken antics. There was some damage done to the nearby Post Office on the same night, he said.

However, Monday's incident appeared to be a "clinical" crime, he said, which had left the housekeeper who discovered the damage shocked.

She had worked at the business for 26 years and had had never seen it burgled before.

Barnsley has had an increasing problem with crime in recent months, with a surge in offences targeting isolated farms and other properties in rural communities to the west of Barnsley.

Some residents blame a change in policing which saw locally based officers moved away as part of the cause of that, allowing criminals improved opportunities to offend undisturbed.

That situation has now been partially reversed, with more officers working the district, but residents continue to be affected by higher levels of crime that they have historically experienced.

In the town centre, many business owners have also complained about their premises being targeted by burglars when they have been left unoccupied at night.