Thief snatches charity box from South Witham Village Store

A callous thief has been caught on CCTV stealing a charity box from a village shop.

Footage shows the man entering South Witham Village Store shortly after 4pm last Monday.

He chatted to the cashier before asking to look at some tobacco behind the counter.

Once the cashier’s back is turned, the footage shows him leaning over and swiping the charity box, which contained money raised for a church flower fund, from the top of the till and quickly hiding it down his trousers.

He then chats to the cashier before making a quick exit.

It was not until the next day that the staff discovered that it was missing.

Shop manager Julie Davey said: “We were opening up the following morning and realised that one of the charity boxes wasn’t there and decided to review the CCTV footage. We couldn’t believe it when we saw him take it.

“The charity boxes have always been part of our store. We use them to raise money for different charities each year.

“This year, we are raising money for the church flower fund and for a lady who lives in the village and recently ran the London Marathon in aid of Cancer Research.

“So to have one stolen is a huge shock.

“I’ve worked here for 14 years and nothing like this has ever happened before.

“Luckily, the CCTV footage is really clear so hopefully the police will be able to find the person responsible.”

A spokesman from Lincolnshire Police said: “The theft occurred around 4.20pm on April 24 and the suspect is believed to be a male in his 20s.

“Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 193 of April 25.

“It’s always important that the local community continue to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity.”