Charity shops in Wisbech raided

Two charities are counting the cost after thieves raided their shops in Wisbech on the same night.

Norfolk Hospice Shop, in Union Place, and the British Heart Foundation were both hit on the same night.

Bizarrely, the thieves who broke into the British Heart Foundation shop, in Market Place, left behind cuttings of brown hair and stole food from the shop.

Staff at the Norfolk Hospice Shop estimate the total cost of the raid, including lost takings and damage, to be £1,000.

Money raised from the shop goes towards the costs of providing palliative care for terminally ill patients.

Director of operations Lynn Lockheart said: “At a time when we are raising funds for new in-patient facilities, this is incredibly hard.”

After smashing door panels to get into the shop, thieves have taken cash and even emptied a charity box.

Mrs Lockheart said: “It is despicable – we are trying to help the local community.

“It is a real blow that they emptied the charity box. We have people coming into the shop all the time to make donations.

“Unfortunately people out there want to ruin it.”

Staff at the British Heart Foundation shop discovered the theft last Tuesday morning after items had been pulled from lockers and a computer was missing from the office.

In the strange break-in, thieves had also left a pile of brown hair, but also stole baked beans, jars of coffee and ate Smarties.

Police are not ruling out the possibility that the raids are linked.

Officers are appealing for more information into the raids. Contact police on the 101 number.