THIEVES emptied the safe in a Cancer charity shop during an overnight burglary and caused thousands of pounds of damage.

They smashed two doors at the back of the Cancer Research UK Shop in Fenland Walk, March, and got away with �107 cash from the safe.

Manager Eileen Frost was told about the burglary by police before she arrived for work this morning. She said: “I just felt sick. It is unbelievable that they would do this to a charity shop. They didn’t take anything else, they just want money.”

Last year the landlord splashed out thousands of pounds on installing metal shutters to protect the windows at the front after they had been repeatedly vandalised and the shop broken into.

Mrs Frost said: “We thought all that had stopped after we had the shutters put up. Now they have just come in the back, it is very upsetting. They took a crow bar to the back door and then the inside door which we spent a lot of money on last year. It will probably cost a thousand pounds to get them repaired and we are having to have extra bolts and locks put on them.”

The intruders tried various keys to open the safe but when they failed, resorted to a crow bar. The money stolen included the �50 float.

Police are appealing for information about the burglary and anyone with information should contact PC Jason Hunns on 0345 456 456 4 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.