Man arrested after pet crematorium burglary

Darren Bates and Wendy Stone said they were "devastated' when their business was targeted

A man has been arrested after more than £1,000 of charitable funds were stolen from a pet crematorium.

Staff at Roxy's Rainbows Pet Cremation were left devastated when the money was taken from the Hartlepool business, during a break-in on Sunday.

Owner Darren Bates said it included donations to Roxy's Pot of Gold, a collection used to help customers who cannot afford to give their pets "the send off they deserve".

A 38-year-old man was taken into police custody after being arrested on suspicion of burglary.

After the break-in, staff thanked the community for rallying around after hundreds of pounds was raised by well-wishers in the aftermath.

It is believed some £1,600 was taken from the business.

Cleveland Police has previously said the theft was not believed to be connected to a spate of others targeting businesses in the Hartlepool area.

Then, they issued a warning to owners to remove any cash from their premises after a number of takeaways and hot food establishments were targeted over the bank holiday weekend.