Cwmbran: Thieves steal free food from Tasty not Wasty

Thieves have broken into a free food store where they raided fridges and stole cake.

The director of Tasty Not Wasty called it "bizarre", as food would have been given to the thieves if they had asked.

The break-in at the not-for-profit enterprise in Cwmbran, Torfaen - which calls itself a "community fridge" - was on Monday night or Tuesday morning.

When director Sabrina Cresswell arrived at the scene she found broken windows and food strewn across the floor.

It was the first time it had been targeted by criminals, said Ms Cresswell, adding that she was "more upset than anything".

The raiders left a mess all over the kitchen

"They literally just took food, ready to eat food like salad, croissants, crisps," Ms Cresswell said.

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"Things they could eat straight away. They ate some cake and pasta that was prepared."

"It has been a bit soul destroying," says director Sabrina Cresswell

The organisation, based at Llanyrafon Methodist Church, had to bin all the food left behind in case it was contaminated, and had to have everything deep cleaned.

Bags of food have had be binned in case they have been contaminated

The organisation collects surplus food from supermarkets and redistributes it to the community to stop it going to waste. It also offers supplies to food banks.

Ms Cresswell said: "We have had to get rid of everything, any packets and tins, because we cannot guarantee (anything). It has been a bit soul destroying."

The organisation is based at Llanyrafon Methodist Church in Cwmbran

A freezer-full of pre-prepared meals had to be thrown away as the thieves left the door open.

"It's been a lot of waste," Ms Cresswell said.

It happened between 22:30 BST on Monday and 07:15 on Tuesday. Gwent Police said it received a report of a burglary and that inquiries were ongoing.