MEMBERS of staff at two Melksham charity shops have been left devastated after thieves broke into the premises overnight.

The teams from the Dorothy House and Wiltshire Mind shops in Church Street arrived at work on Monday (February 13) to discover the doors had been broken overnight. Staff then realised that jewellery and a cash box had been stolen from inside.

Carolyn Beale, chief executive of Wiltshire Mind, said: "I park up behind the shop in the morning but I crossed the road and didn't actually see the front. A member of staff arrived and discovered it. I was absolutely shocked that someone would do this. They stole our entire safe which had two days' worth of takings, the till float and money from the raffle tickets we have been selling.

"We aren't a big charity and we don't receieve any funding so to have this happen has a big impact on us and our ability to support people in the community."

The burglars then went next door and forced their way into the Dorothy House shop, searching the premises for things to steal.

Melksham shop manager, Liz Holland, said, “This has been a shock to everybody. I feel quite shaken up. A lot of passers-by and customers have said how dreadful this is, stealing from charity shops. We’ve had a lot of support though, from the public and other shops.

“They left a mess. Clothes were piled up on the floor – men’s clothes mostly – like they were going to be taken. The office was ransacked. The shop will have to stay closed today, while the police investigate and the mess is cleared up. But we hope to open tomorrow," added Mrs Holland.

The Melksham shop wasn't the only Dorothy House- run store to fall victim to burglars, with the Chippenham shop also being broken into overnight.

Dorothy House Hospice Care head of communications, Jenny Steele, said, “We’re incredibly proud of our shop teams who worked brilliantly on the clean-up after the break-ins. This is a sad situation to discover on a Monday morning, but the retail teams in both shops have shown incredible resilience and teamwork as they rally together to reopen the shops and be the face of the hospice in our community.”

If anyone has any information to the incident they are asked to call Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.