Two days after a smash-and-grab on the same street, a thief targeted a Bridge Street decorations shop, stealing a till filled with charity donations.

On Thursday morning R J Phillips Interiors had its door battered through and its till stolen, which held the company's cash and charity money that was due to go to Breast Cancer UK, which came from the sale of calendars in the shop. 

Owner Rachel Phillips, 48, got a security alert on her phone at 4.42am on Thursday and she watched on through her CCTV camera as a thief broke into her shop and stole her till. 

Ms Phillips, who was hurt and angered by the break-in, said: "I am thankful I wasn't in the shop at the time because I don't know what I would have done."

The police are aware of the incident and have confirmed that an arrest has been made.

It is the second time in this week that a business on Bridge Street has been robbed. Coffee at 26, 7 doors down from R J Phillips Interiors had its safe stolen in a smash and grab in the early hours of Tuesday morning. 

Just before 7am on Tuesday, Ms Phillips was inside her shop when three men tried to break into her van. She was unaware of them at the time but they were captured on CCTV. 

Three minutes after trying to break into her van, the men kicked down the door of Coffee at 26 and stole the safe.

Ms Phillips believes the crimes may be connected and that "they saw the camera last time and came through the front [of her shop] instead" on Thursday morning. 

Along with the cash and charity donations, Ms Phillip's bank details were inside in the till and so she has had to change all her passwords and cancelled her cards. 

The thief did not take anything else and Ms Phillips said the raid was planned, saying: "They knew what they were coming in for."

Ms Phillips, who started her business 20 years ago from her dining room table, has been targeted by thieves before, in March 2023 when her front window was smashed.

The thieves did not manage to get into the shop that time but the damage to window affected Ms Phillips' business. 

"When my window was smashed last time I was closed for three weeks - nearly four. For the whole of March [2023] and that really affected my business," she said.

Ms Phillips praised the police and the street ambassadors who work in Newport.

"They were all so amazing and caring. They do not get enough credit. After the last break-in, they come and check on me every week," she said.