Norwich's iconic Mustard shop and museum has been targeted by a thief who ran off with a handful of notes from the till.
The store in Royal Arcade, which is run by a social enterprise organisation which supports offenders, was hit this afternoon when only one member of staff was present, and there were no other customers in the store.
Collett Moore, the supervisor on duty at the time, said she was left shaken following the theft, which she said happened at about 3.45pm.
She said: 'He was in the shop for a long time. He had a backpack on, wandering around asking questions.'
She said that, when other customers had left the shop, he ask her to look for his grandmother's walking stick in a corner of the shop, and took the cash from one of the tills while her back was turned, before running away.
She added: 'He was so quick; I could not believe it. He literally got in the till and grabbed all the £20 and £10 notes, and was gone.
'I just thought how the hell did that happen. He seemed a nice chap, but obviously not. I gave a description to the police. I just can't believe it.
'I was shaking so much early on. I was more worried about the shop, and how we lost all that money we have made.'
She was not hurt in the incident, and said the man did not threaten or intimidate her.
Police said they were investigating the theft, and would be using CCTV to try to identify the man.
Colman's Mustard Shop and Museum is owned by Guildhall Enterprises, which is operated by Britannia Enterprises, which runs the Cafe Britannia, which is staffed by category D low risk prisoners.
Davina Tanner, chief executive of Guildhall Enterprises and Britannia Enterprises, said: 'It's awful. It's a heritage property, and a heritage, iconic brand, and someone has taken that opportunity. I think it's really the lowest of the low.'
She added: 'It's not a nice situation. At least no-one got hurt and no-one was threatened. The main thing is that Collett is OK, and no-one got hurt.'
Anyone with information should contact police on 101.
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