Man arrested following charity shop burglaries

The Age UK shop in Syston was burgled on Sunday evening

Charity shop staff and volunteers have been left "shocked and heartbroken" by a spate of burglaries police believe to be linked.

Age UK and Oxfam shops, in Melton Road, Syston, Leicestershire, were among four outlets broken into on Sunday evening.

Police said there were a further three attempted burglaries, which are also being linked and investigated.

A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and assaulting an emergency worker. He has been released on bail while investigations continue.

Both shops had been ransacked with windows and shop fittings smashed, items stolen and stock strewn everywhere.

Staff and volunteers told the BBC they were "devastated" when they arrived on Monday morning to discover the break-in.

The Oxfam store's manager thanked volunteers for helping with the clean-up

Oxfam store manager Beverley Powell, who has been with the shop for 27 years, said she felt "violated".

She said the perpetrators caused "significant damage", including smashing the computer and printer, and had "even tipped out the sugar and the teabags on the floor".

"I was shocked and gobsmacked," she said.

"It's personal and soul-destroying because we've built the shop up over all these years, and we recently had a shop refit.

"What is the world coming to if people break in to charity shops?"

Ms Powell thanked volunteers "from the bottom of my heart" who helped with the clean-up and their support in getting the shop reopened on Tuesday.

'Overwhelmed with sadness'

Tony Donovan, executive director of Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland, said everyone involved was "deeply upset".

"I am appalled that anybody would want to vandalise and steal from a charity shop whose aim is simply to raise funds for services aimed at supporting vulnerable older people," he said.

"The shop is beloved by the community and our staff are overwhelmed with sadness and heartbroken with the damage done to their shop."

Executive director of Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland said he was "appalled" by the burglary

Leicestershire Police said officers were called to Melton Road at about 21:30 GMT on Sunday after a report of glass being smashed at a premises and a man seen exiting a shop.

The force said when police arrived, a man was found inside another store on the same street that had also been broken into.

"There has been a total of four reports of burglaries and another three reports of attempted burglaries," a spokesperson said.

"These reports are being treated as linked and inquiries into each are currently ongoing."

Anyone with information has been urged to contact police.