Stolen toys returned to charity after public anger

The charity said the stolen toys have now been returned

Toys stolen from a charity's doorstep have been returned after public anger on social media.

They were taken from Baby Necessities in Romsey, Hampshire, on Monday after being left outside following a delivery.

Gillian Wilkins, the baby bank's funding and communications manager, said "everyone was incensed" when they posted about the theft on Facebook.

But she said the items - which are destined for a family in need this Christmas - were returned on Thursday.

The community reacted angrily to the post on social media

Ms Wilkins, who has worked with Baby Necessities for two-and-a-half years, said the charity was "heartbroken" when it became clear the toys had been stolen from outside its site at The Premier Centre industrial estate.

They took a photo of a box that had been emptied by the thief and posted it on social media, prompting an angry response.

One comment on the post said: "Shame on whoever did this."

"The public reaction and support was heart-warming - text donations, online donations and our online wishlist all saw an increase," Ms Wilkins said.

'Afraid of the backlash'

She told the BBC a man then called to admit to the theft and said "he didn't know what he was doing when he took the items".

"I think he was afraid of the backlash on social media," Ms Wilkins said.

She said the items were dropped off at a neighbouring unit on the industrial estate.

In their updated post on social media the charity thanked people for their support

"We can now help the child it was meant for - and many more," it said.

Ms Wilkins said awareness of their organisation had grown since the incident.

"It's awful that it takes something bad like this to happen for us to get noticed but we're just trying to make a positive out of what was a negative situation," she added.