HEARTLESS thieves are stealing donations from charity bags left outside shops in Haywards Heath and police say the problem is getting worse.
Charity shops in the centre of town such as Cancer Research, Oxfam and Help the Aged have suffered the most.
It is believed the thieves travel around late at night to either steal items from the bags or take a number of full bags.
However, p
olice have caught some in the act and they are asking anyone who sees the theft to report it.
Rachel Baker, shop manageress of Cancer Research UK in South Road, said: "The main problem with leaving the bags outside the shop is they get stolen. Or people take them to the park (Victoria Park) and leave a mess.
"There are other problems too. If bags are left outside and haven't been stolen it can block our entrance and some of my volunteers are elderly and cannot manage to clear them by themselves.
"We don't want to turn stuff away and we do appreciate the donations but we would urge people not to leave them outside."
Read the full story in the Mid Sussex Times
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