Shop hit by burglars for fifth time
Charity shop workers today spoke of their distress and frustration after their store in Market Drayton was attacked by burglars for the fifth time in eight years.
The Sue Ryder shop collects thousands of pounds for hospice care.
The charity helps thousands of people with life-threatening illnesses across the UK but that did not stop burglars who smashed their way into the shop in Cheshire Street.
They caused hundreds of pounds of damage and forced the shop to close, meaning it missed out on a day's trade.
After breaking in the burglars just took a donation tin, containing less than £15.
The theft took place on Friday evening or Saturday morning, with store manager Liz Wakefield taking the decision to close the shop on Easter Monday because of the expense of having the door and window repaired on a bank holiday.
Liz said: "We were forced to close Bank Holiday Monday, so losing valuable funds to provide incredible care for patients and families with life changing illnesses, all for the sake of £15 and a repair bill likely to be in the hundreds.
"We lost a whole day's trade and we might lose another half day while it is repaired.
"It makes me feel sick, we work very hard and ultimately it is a charity that provides very good care for people.
"This is the fifth time it has happened in the eight years I have been here.
"They only got away with a donation tin with about £10 or £15 in."
The Sue Ryder shop was previously broken into in 2016 and in 2014. That time thieves broken in through the toilet window and took about £60 in cash.
They also took a box of new stationery and a blue donation box.
Since then staff installed metal bars on the toilet windows and bolted the back door.
Before that the store was last broken into in 2011, when £200 was stolen.
West Mercia Police spokesman Sam Cook said: "We were called at 8.53am on Saturday, March 31 to reports that the front door of the Sue Ryder store had been kicked in.
"An attempt had been made to force the till and a donation box was taken."
Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting incident number 177s of March 31. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org
