A POPULAR Italian restaurant in Newport was burgled on Valentine's Day, with at least £2,000 worth of damage caused - leaving owners "gutted".

Vittorio's, on Stow Hill in the city, has been run by the same family for about 30 years.

In the early hours of yesterday morning (Tuesday, February 14 - Valentine's Day), windows at the front of the restaurant were smashed and alcohol stolen from within.

A spokesperson for Gwent Police said that, at approximately 2.30am yesterday morning, they received a call reporting a window at the front of the restaurant had been smashed and a number of bottles of alcohol had been stolen.

"Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with any information can call police on 101, quoting 2300049349, or you can contact police via Facebook or Twitter," they said.

Owen Emmanuel runs Vittorio's.

"He was only in there for about a minute," he said.

"The booze he stole was worth about £100."

However, the repairs are likely to cost several times that amount - with Mr Emmanuel estimating costs at around £2,000.

"The glass is tinted which is expensive," he said.

"The guy smashed the biggest piece. Our graphics will have to be put back on there too."

Such incidents are, unfortunately, not as rare as some might expect.

"We had another robbery back in October," Mr Emmanuel explained.

"That one made me feel angry.

"This time I just feel gutted. It’s our beautiful shop front.

"I’m not even bothered about the booze."

He explained that during the family's ownership of Vittorio's - some 30 years - there had been only three break-ins until about three years ago.

Since then there has been the same number.

"It’s a sign of the world we live in at the moment," Mr Emmanuel said.