Burglars steal £1,000 from Telford charity shop

Hundreds of pounds of damage was also caused to the Severn Hospice shop in Market Square, Wellington, after the burglars smashed a hole in the roof.

They stole just over £1,000 in takings and donations after breaking into the shop's safe between 5pm on Saturday and 8.30am today.

Staff and volunteers discovered the break-in when they arrived at the shop this morning. The store was closed for most of today.

Norma Ross, the hospice's Director of Income Generation, said the charity was working closely with the police to help them with their investigations.

"Any form of stealing is appalling but to steal money from a charity such as ours is truly abhorrent," she said.

"We have lost money that local people have generously given to our cause, whether that be through making a purchase in our shop or donating goods for us to sell to raise funds.

"A kind supporter had made a large donation to our shop on Saturday which meant the amount held in our safe was unusually high.

"It is distressing to think that someone out there is capable of stealing from the hospice. Ultimately the people most affected by this will be the local people who depend on the vital services we provide.

"Not only have we had our takings stolen, we have also lost almost a whole day's trading because of the actions of the mindless criminals who targeted our shop.

"I would like to thank our customers and supporters for their cooperation and apologise for any inconvenience caused by the closure. We are hoping to be open for business as usual tomorrow."