The owner of an e-cigarette shop on what was recently named Britain’s best shopping street has described it as “unworthy” of the title after £25,000 worth of goods were stolen from him.

Geraint, 33, said there had been four attempted break-ins at his shop, Queen Street Vapes, in Cardiff.

Queen Street won the main prize in a consumer survey conducted by GlobalData for American Express earlier this week.

South Wales Police said they would continue to work to make Cardiff a “vibrant, safe and friendly” place.

Geraint, from Blackwood, Caerphilly, owns businesses in Swindon, Cwmbran, Abergavenny and also his home town. He said he had mainly worked in Cardiff because of the problems he had encountered there.

He said: “It got to the point where I was considering selling and cutting my losses.”

“It’s making it hard for me to sleep. There’s no video surveillance or alarm system to stop them from coming in.”

Geraint posted a video on social media that appears to show three people taking e-cigarettes from his store.

South Wales Police said a 37-year-old man had pleaded guilty to burglary and the other two suspects had not yet been identified.

Further down the street, thefts and threats from shoplifters are commonplace, Savers employees said.

Ethan James Barnes, 20, who has worked at the Queen Street store for two years, said: “Just this morning someone came in and stole £118 worth of baby formula. It’s common for people to steal milk and detergent pods.”

He said police could not properly enforce the law because the thefts involved items of little value.

“The police were only called once, when I was punched in the face,” he said.

South Wales Police said they dealt with “all shoplifters regardless of value” but the consequences could vary depending on the circumstances.

Rhys Thomas, 25, has worked at Holland and Barrett on Queen Street for over a year and said during that time staff began wearing body cameras.

“The biggest downside to this job is the violence,” he said.

“It’s a vicious cycle with the same repeat offenders. They become violent and the police are called in, but that doesn’t deter them, they keep coming back.”

South Wales Police said: “It is with great joy that Queen Street was recently named the UK’s best shopping street. However, we regret the experiences of these inner city workers.”

“Cardiff city centre remains a safe place but with an estimated half a million people passing through Queen Street and St Mary Street each week, crime and anti-social behaviour unfortunately continue to occur.”