Newly-renovated Buckie bar targeted by thieves – but remains on track for December re-opening

Thieves have targeted a newly-renovated Buckie bar just weeks before it is due to open following a six-figure facelift.

The Brig and Barrel will open its doors to the public next month after a major renovation under its new owners Jim and Rosslyn Sutherland.

Work is continuing at the building on West Church Street, the site of the former Highlander Hotel.

But opportunist thieves got into the bar between Friday night and Saturday morning.

Among the items stolen were power tools, a music system and bottles of alcohol.

CCTV and new alarm installed after break-in

A door had been left unlocked and no damage was done to the building, so the owners decided not to involve the police.

Discovering the break-in on Saturday morning was a blow for Buckie couple Jim and Rosslyn.

But they remain as determined as ever to bring their project to life.

He said: “It’s really unfortunate, but at least the building wasn’t damaged.

“We will, of course, recover from this setback. But our trust in people has taken a knock for now.”

A temporary CCTV system and a new alarm have been installed to protect the bar against another break-in.

News of the Sutherlands’ plans to renovate the old Highlander Hotel has been warmly welcomed by people in Buckie.

It reached more than 54,000 people on the Press and Journal’s Facebook page.

The old bar and hotel had been a mainstay of the town for decades.

But the building fell into a state of disrepair after closing in 2019.

‘Everything is coming together’

It then hit the headlines for the wrong reasons when cannabis worth almost £1m was recovered there in September 2020.

The shell that the Sutherlands bought in October was in need of a lot of work.

But after spending around £100,000 on repairs, the bar looks almost unrecognisable from where it was just six weeks ago.

Jim is delighted to have finally got his hands on the building, after previously expressing an interest in taking it over a few years ago.

The retired offshore worker has sunk a huge portion of his savings into the new venture and hopes the new venue will give Buckie a lift.

Despite the latest setback, they still expect to be open before Christmas.

Jim said: “We are still on track. The morning we came in and saw what happened, it took us two or three hours to get going again.

“But everything is coming together and we’re excited about opening.”