‘It’s costing us thousands’: Independent Vauxhall café suffers two break-ins in two months

Burglars have broken into the Three Buds café in Vauxhall Park twice in the span of two months. The first break-in occurred on 1 July 2026, and the second on 31 August.

The burglars stole electronics, a phone, and coffee beans. They also cut electrical wiring to the café’s shutters during the first break-in.

Hugo French, café and operations manager at Three Buds, said: “It’s costing us thousands to repair the damage and replace the shutters. It’s a huge strain on us as a new independent business.”

The café lost a day’s revenue on top of repair costs, as they were unable to open for customers on 1 July after the first break-in.

Mr French said: “The first one was bad but we thought, this is London, it was bound to happen at some point. The second one we weren’t expecting at all.”

Three Buds opened in April 2026 and is located in Lambeth, the borough that has recently seen the most crime in all of south-west London.

Between July and September 2026, a total of 6,029 business crime offences were reported in Lambeth, of which 3,358 were burglaries, robberies, or thefts at a business.

Mr French described business break-ins as a “London-wide challenge” but said that “being in a park with no one around, we’re more vulnerable.”

Though Three Buds considered implementing alarm systems as a security measure, the team felt the equipment ultimately wasn’t worth the cost.

“If you have an alarm at home and your neighbour hears it, they’ll stick their head out to see what’s going on, but here in the park no one’s around to hear it – or the gates are locked and no one’ll climb over them,” said Mr French.

Local residents have shown their support by purchasing from Three Buds after the break-ins and sharing the news on social media to encourage more customers to visit.

Image via Google Maps. Target publication: South West Londoner.