THE NEW manager of The Royal Oak Hotel in Ledbury has spent his first week in the job having to deal with the aftermath of a damaging burglary.

Andrew Craney, who has worked for 20 years in hospitality in Birmingham, said he thought he was "getting away from the hustle and bustle" by accepting the hotel post in Ledbury.

But his first days at the hotel, in The Southend, have thrown up unexpected challenges, caused by the raid.

However, despite the break-in, he has not been put off the market town.

"I still like Ledbury," he said.

Overnight, on November 1, intruders at The Royal Oak broke a window to get into a function room, "demolished a fruit machine into twenty bits" and took two televisions from the function room and one from the bar.

Money was taken from a pool table, and the the intruders also demolished two dishwashers for their trays, so that the thieves could carry away an estimated 30 bottles of spirits, still with their optics attached.

Mr Craney, who believes the raisers must have used a van said: "We have guest coming at the end of this week, and we have no optics and no dishwashers."

But he was hopeful that everything could be put right in time.

The police's forensics team visited the hotel on Wednesday, to search for fingerprints, and further investigations are ongoing.

Frustratingly, the burglars also made off with the hotel's CCTV, presenting Mr Craney with another problem to solve.

He said: "We've been having problems trying to boot it up."

But he is also hopeful that Herefordshire council-owned CCTV cameras, facing The Southend, will have caught images of the thieves in action.

The total cost of the damage at The Royal Oak was still to be tallied up at the time of going to press.

Police are appealing for witnesses and information, on the 101 number, and the police reference is: 0263S 011117 .