The owner of a Bushey florist shop, which was targeted by thieves last week, is calling for increased police presence and security measures in the town.

Paula Hucklesby, who owns Bunches in High Road, arrived at her shop on the morning of Wednesday, April 25 to find thieves had broken in. They fled empty-handed, however, when the shop’s alarm system triggered.

According to Mrs Hucklesby, 39, this latest break-in is proof that crime in the area is going from "bad to worse".

Ms Hucklesby, who has run the shop for the past six years, said: "That morning I had to finish preparing for a funeral and as I had put so much hard work in, all I could think was I hope they haven’t damaged my client’s flowers.

"Although nothing was stolen, that’s not the point; it has an affect on my business.

"This isn’t the first time my shop has been targeted. Earlier this year two men came in and tried to rob the till.

"I was here by myself and, as they couldn’t get into the till, they just took my phone. It left me very shaky and scared.

"But I’m not the only one on this road; there was a smash and grab at the jewellers.

"This is an affluent area. You just don’t expect this sort of thing to go on here."

According to Ms Hucklesby, she had to pay £300 to have her door repaired after the break-in, as the intruders had severely damaged the doorframe.

She said: "The police’s reaction seemed to be, ‘well you’ve got insurance, that’s okay, claim on that.’ But it’s not okay. I claim on my insurance and my excess goes up, so I’m still paying.

"There needs to be more of a deterrent for thieves.

"There are no cameras up here, only one at Bushey station. Maybe a camera would crack down on people coming into this area trying to rob local businesses. Or perhaps the police could start doing more patrols."

Police believe the burglary took place between 5pm on Tuesday, April 24 and 6.20am on Wednesday, April 25.

Sarah Spence, police spokeswoman, said: "We would like to reassure the community that proactive action is being taken in Bushey Heath by the Safer Neighbourhood Team to tackle incidents like these.

"Extra patrols are being put in place to prevent crime and officers are currently working with business owners in the area to set up Business Watch, an extremely effective way for officers to communicate to business communities.

"Information can be provided in relation to suspicious incidents or current crime trends so that efforts can be made to work together to prevent crime taking place.

"Anyone wishing to find out more or sign up should contact the Safer Neighbourhood Team."

Anyone with information about the incident can call police on non-emergency number 101 quoting crime reference J2/12/505 or, to remain anonymous, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.