Aylesford: Hospice reports van taken with £1,000 stock

The Heart of Kent Hospice said its van was stolen from its site in Aylesford

A hospice has criticised a "heartless" thief for stealing its shop furniture van along with about £1,000 of stock.

The Heart of Kent Hospice said the vehicle was taken from its Hall Road site in Aylesford on Tuesday.

The Citroën Relay Luton van was parked on secure premises behind locked gates, the charity said.

Thieves broke in, removed the tracker and other items before driving through the locked gates with the vehicle contents still on board, it added.

The charity said the cost of the damage and theft would run to £1,500.

'Shaken'

Mark Mickelburgh, from Heart of Kent Hospice, said: "We've been hit hard by the blow.

"Not only have we lost our large vehicle for moving furniture around and collecting donations, but we've lost stock, and our colleagues and volunteers are understandably all shaken by this experience.

"Our shops are a vital income stream to the charity and to have any loss of trading or expense is a blow to our services."

The charity said it had reported the theft to Kent Police.

It is asking anyone who has seen the vehicle to contact the force.

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