“DISGRACEFUL” thugs have been caught on CCTV breaking into a garden centre before stealing several charity collections.
The event unfolded late on Friday after staff had locked up the Gordon Rigg Garden, Home and Leisure store in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
However, after discovering that the garden centre does not keep money in the store overnight, the thugs instead turned their attention to charity donation boxes.
Various charity boxes were stolen including those from local hospices as well as the RSPCA and Macmillan Cancer Care.
Breast cancer pins were also nicked by the mindless vandals.
Seemingly furious they didn’t get the cash they’d hoped for, the yobs also wrecked the centre’s storeroom and smashed their empty tills.
The garden centre shared screenshots of the the CCTV to Facebook on Sunday in an appeal for information on the attack, writing: “Does anyone recognise these charity box thieves?
“They’ve stolen all the charity money from various donation boxes that we had set up and emptied the ones they left behind.
“They stole sweets, food and drinks, all in Gordon Rigg 75th anniversary bags.
“They smashed up all our tills, clearly annoyed that no money is left on site.”
The post has now collected over 1,300 shares with hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from users who were outraged by the attack.
Sue Hayter said: “What a mess, thoughtless selfish individuals.”
Maggie Henry wrote: “Words utterly fail me, they should be paraded with placards reading ‘I am the thief’.”
Jo Hawkins commented: “Tomorrow’s losers, and society will pick the tab up.”
Lisa Benson added: “Disgusting, print their pictures off and hand them in at high schools.
Patricia Reeves replied: “Why would anyone break into a garden centre?
“And why do soo much damage? Someone must recognise them, but have they got the gut to report them?
“Too much of this is going on n it needs to be stopped!”
Speaking today John Jackson, 53, who is general manager of the store, said: “The most despicable thing was that they took the charity boxes.
“Yes, we’ve been broken into but the charity is the important part here.
“It’s absolutely disgraceful.”
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police today said: “We received a report of a burglary.
“Three offenders have forced entry to the premises before stealing items inside.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
