Ellen left baffled by quails' eggs theft

A YOUNG entrepreneur has been left baffled after thieves stole a batch of quails eggs from her family's garden shed that she planned to sell for just £6.

For the past two years, 11-year-old Ellen Wappett has been earning extra pocket money by breeding quails and selling their eggs on an internet auction site.

Last year, the gifted youngster, from Reeve Close in Bury St Edmunds, was even able to buy her very own piano after making around £400 from her business.

But she recently learned another of life's lessons after she became the victim of heartless thieves, who took her first two batches of eggs of the laying season.

“Her dad used to keep quails, and when she was nine we did a summer project at home to see the chicks hatch, and she has kept them ever since,” said Ellen's mum, Michelle.

“We now have 16 cages, which each have around five birds in - all of which she hatched and raised herself.”

When she is not doing homework given to her by her teachers at Howard Middle School, Ellen spends her time feeding her birds and cleaning the cages, as well as collecting the eggs when it is the right time of year.

She had recently collected 50 eggs which she had divided into two batches, one of which had already been sold to one of her online customers.

But when Ellen returned from a family day out on April 22, she discovered the eggs were missing.

“We could not believe it,” said Mrs Wappett, who also lives with her husband, Billy, and their four other children.

“Ellen only sells the eggs for £2.99 a batch - if the thieves wanted them that badly they could have knocked on the door and asked for them.

“Luckily, Ellen has managed to collect some more eggs during the week so she can keep her promise to the buyer, but it is just so annoying and we just don't understand why someone would go to the hassle of stealing £6 worth of eggs and nothing else!”

Anyone with information about the theft should contact Pc Ian Davies on 01284 774100.

lisa.cleverdon@eadt.co.uk