William's Lounge Bar in Burnley targeted by callous burglar

William’s Lounge Bar in Yorke Street was targeted by a masked man, believed to be acting alone, at around 3am this morning.

After trying to break in through the front door, the offender has smashed the large front window in order to gain access, causing more than £1000 worth of damage.

The break-in comes on the weekend before owners Neil and Keira Crossley had been set to unveil the bar’s new look in time for its fourth anniversary.

The re-modelling work at William’s has taken around three months, with the old bathroom facilities having been ripped out and re-sited to make way for a new seating area that will accommodate an extra 25 customers.

Despite this morning’s events, Keira said they are open as usual and can’t wait to see all their lovely customers over the weekend.

"It’s been a little stressful, but we’re all open and we’re ready to go. They won’t bring us down,” said Keira. “Nothing will stop us opening. It is a shame, because we’re in the middle of the renovations, but you know what, it’s looking amazing and next Friday it will be looking absolutely on top.

"We really do have some amazing people around us. We’ve had so many messages of support from other bars in the town, asking if there’s anything they can do. This town centre is on the up, there is so much positivity around. This is just a minor blip in the grand scheme of things.”