Heartless thieves raided a collection box in an island church over the Easter weekend.
The padlock securing the box at the entrance to St Peter’s Episcopal Church in Stornoway was forced and £28 was stolen.
This is the second time the church in Francis Street has been robbed in the past few years and the priest in charge, Rev Terry Taggart, said the money was mainly donated by visitors.
“It is very sad that this has happened, especially over the Easter period. A key for a storage cupboard was also taken, but there is nothing much kept in there as it is mainly used to store cleaning materials.
“£28 is not a lot of money, but it is the principle of the thing as a percentage of the money raised through all our various collections goes to charity.”
Mr Taggart explained that the collection box is kept right inside the front door of the church.
“We keep the building open during the day, so that anyone who wants to can come in and have a look around or pray. People who do come in often put a donation in the box.
“The padlock was forced, but the box itself wasn’t damaged at all.”
Mr Taggart, who has been at St Peter’s for more than two years, said he thought it was an opportunistic raid.
“It must have happened sometime between Thursday and Easter Sunday. The church was very busy throughout this period, so whoever was responsible obviously saw a window of opportunity.
“A similar theft occurred about four years ago when another collection box was stolen. This time it was one situated inside the church near to the place where people light candles.
“I am a realist and these things happen, but it does go against the grain. We will obviously have to review our security arrangements.” he added.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Inquires into the robbery at St Peter’s Episcopal Church in Stornoway are still ongoing.”