A RESTAURANT owner has offered a £500 reward for information leading to the conviction of a thief who snatched thousands of pounds.

Tony Gambarini (pictured) locked the front door of his restaurant, Gambarini's The New Bella Mamas, in Lower Dock Street to go upstairs to the lounge bar at about 12.30pm on Tuesday.

He said: "I wasn't even gone two minutes when I came back down and noticed that my coat was gone and that the till was empty.

"I couldn't believe it, I was only gone for a split second, I'm dismayed by it, I didn't hear a thing.

"As I was coming down the stairs I thought, 'why isn't the door locked', but they had forced the lock."

Mr Gambarini said: "I'm offering this reward because I think if all shopkeepers and business people did this then just a few people would be willing to thieve in Newport. "There's a chance they could be doing it to other businesses which can ill- afford to suffer these losses, so I'm hoping this reward will deter them.

"I really hope someone comes forward and someone is arrested and convicted. I would be delighted to give someone £500 for that."

Police are now investigating the crime. The restaurant opened in Lower Dock Street about 18 months ago after Mr Gambarini closed his Bella Mamas restaurant at Cardiff Road.

He said: "We have never had any trouble here at all. I think it must have been opportunists." The coat that was stolen was a blue Regatta sailing-type coat with a hood.

* Anyone with information is asked to call police on (01633) 838111 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.