AN "OVERWHELMING" flood of support and donations has followed a break-in at a Wrexham pub.

The Leader reported last week how Beverley and Darren Nixon-Davies, who run the Greyhound Inn on Holt Road, were left devastated following the incident on the evening of November 13.

Mrs Nixon-Davies had been upstairs in her flat kitchen and bedroom at the pub at about 9.30pm when her dog began to bark - but she thought nothing of it and continued about her evening.

It wasn't until after midnight that she and her husband discovered someone had entered their office through a window, while she was in the next room, and made off with more than £1,300 in cash and bags of change.

The Leader:

The Greyhound Inn

The break-in left the couple shaken and seriously concerned about the financial impact it could have on the pub in the short term.

But what followed was an outpouring of sympathy and support from their friends, family, staff and loyal customers.

Mrs Nixon-Davies explained: "People have really gone above and beyond. "After it happened, one of our regulars came out and fitted bars to the windows for us off his own back. Then another came out and fixed the window itself for us and fitted a new security light.

"He's been back again and fitted another.

"One of our other customers is making us a grill to go over the outside of the windows - none of them would take any money for it."

Mrs Nixon-Davies said among the many valued customers who have offered the pub a lifeline are Bez Jones, Nige Jones, Linda Walsh, her dad Brian Davies, Nigel Owen, Vic Walsh and Steve Davies.

"We had a pot on the bar where people were putting change in," she continued, "and we put an SOS appeal out on Facebook to see if anyone had any change they could donate.

"Linda came in and gave us £35 in pound coins and another customer came in and replaced the change that was taken. That really helped to keep the pub running for those few days.

"One of our members of staff told us not to pay her, but of course we did.

"Over the weekend we seemed to have an extraordinary amount of customers in. It was really quite overwhelming to see.

"It was like they came out to show us support. They were angry about it because it's their pub too - and that's how we wanted it. "We're like one big family in here. It's been very humbling and we just can't thank everyone enough for their continued support. "They have taken us into their hearts and without them there wouldn't be a Greyhound Inn."

When examining the CCTV footage following the break-in, Mrs Nixon-Davies said she had been horrified to see two people - one on the ground and one on the roof - watching as she moved from room to room in the flat before entering the office for the money.

She said the emotional impact of the incident remains, but she and her husband are reassured by the new security measures, adding: "In hindsight, we're grateful they only got away with money.

"They didn't get anything personal, nothing that can't be replaced.

"It's taught us a lesson because we thought we were security conscious.

"I am still not sleeping and I have not been back in the office. I feel like I'm being watched - it's the violation that someone was there.

"Hopefully with time, this will get better. Pub life is far from easy but when you have customers who you class as friends, it is made a whole lot better."

North Wales Police confirmed a break-in at the Greyhound Pub on Holt Road in Wrexham was reported at 12.22am on November 14. Anyone with information can contact police on 101 with reference number X165230.