Shrewsbury charity box for the homeless is stolen

The "alternative giving" boxes were set up to help people in the town donate directly to homeless charities rather than to those begging on the streets.

But now one of the boxes has been stolen from Pride Hill.

Four boxes were installed earlier this month in an initiative by the Team Shrewsbury partnership.

The boxes were up for less than two weeks before thieves struck.

CCTV footage has led to two suspects being soken to by police but the box is still missing.

Located at Frankwell Footbridge, Pride Hill (outside Tesco Express), The Square (outside The Co-Operative Bank), and Shrewsbury Railway Station (near the car park exit), the blue metal boxes were unveiled by the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Councillor Miles Kenny on February 4.

The collection boxes were manufactured free of charge by Shrewsbury firm Salop Design & Engineering Ltd.

The money collected in the heavy duty boxes, which are securely fixed to a pole or fence, is distributed by Shrewsbury Ark, The Rough Sleepers Task Force Group and Shrewsbury Street Pastors, and 100 per cent of all donations go to help the homeless and vulnerable individuals in Shrewsbury.

The scheme has been introduced as many people who beg are not actually homeless or sleeping rough and many beg to feed a drug or alcohol habit.

Posters and metal signs to promote and raise awareness of the Alternative Giving scheme were also put up around the town centre.

Councillor Kenny said: "I am disappointed and annoyed that this has happened. Lessons will be learned from this and the bozes will be made more secure. The main point is that these collect money for the vulnerable and by stealing one of these boxes, you are stealing from charity and that is shameful."

Donations can also be made at shrewsburyark.co.uk