‘It’s so sad’- thief hits much-loved Chesterfield baby clothes store with ‘smash and grab’ raid

A thief has targeted a well-loved baby clothes store in Chesterfield town centre and stolen merchandise in a ‘smash and grab’ raid.
Several generations of Chesterfield parents have bought their child’s clothes at the Baby Linen House.Several generations of Chesterfield parents have bought their child’s clothes at the Baby Linen House.
Several generations of Chesterfield parents have bought their child’s clothes at the Baby Linen House.

At about 4am on Monday, January 3, the front window of the Baby Linen House on Packer’s Row was smashed and around 12 Timberland jackets were stolen.

John O’Shea, whose mum and grandma run the Baby Linen House, said the business might not last if these kinds of incidents keep occurring.

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“It’s my mum and grandma’s business, and it’s been there 100 years. It’s really sad, because if it keeps going on, there won’t be a Baby Linen anymore.

“It’s a smash and grab, and it’s so sad because they’ve worked all their lives, and for that to happen is not nice at all. If it is lost, it’s another shop from the town centre gone.”

John said more needed to be done by the council to help to protect businesses in this part of the town.

“I’m so passionate about it, because it keeps happening, and there’s no support from the council. They were told they can’t have shutters on the window because it's a listed building, so they can’t do anything.

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“The CCTV camera outside the shop, the council say it works and the police say it doesn’t- what do you do? You’re a sitting duck.

“The regeneration project was supposed to breathe new life into that end of town but it’s just not happened, it's so dark and eerie. If they want these businesses to survive, they need to support them: put some lighting up there, get the CCTV working, clean it up - don’t just leave it.”