A charity boss has warned members of the public not to leave donations outside overnight as it is feared valuable items were stolen from a north-east branch.
Staff at the Peterhead branch of New Arc revealed that donations had been left on their Broad Street doorstep between Saturday night and Sunday morning but that the boxes were empty when they arrived.
It is understood jewellery and electrical goods may be among the items which were taken because empty boxes for these products were left behind.
Now the animal sanctuary boss, Pauline Marley, has urged good Samaritans to be cautious with their donations.
“People maybe drop donations off on their way to work, but maybe aren’t aware that by the time somebody gets to the shop there’s nothing left,” Mrs Marley said.
“The charity suffers and it’s a shame for the people who are giving as well because they’re bringing it down with good intentions. It maybe doesn’t cross their minds that if they leave it on the doorstep it is unlikely to get into the shop.”
Mrs Marley said that if people are unable to hand it to a New Arc volunteer, it would be “better handed to another charity”.
She also said her team were willing to collect donations outwith opening hours.
New Arc volunteer Lara Brown said: “Apart from stealing, this is taking away valuable funds needed by New Arc. It’s a sad day when people steal from charities. Unfortunately this is very common.”
Staff at the Broad Street shop have been unable to report the incident to the police as the area is not covered by CCTV and they have no proof about what items have been taken.
However the New Arc team is appealing for anyone with information about the incident, or the contents of the donation, to contact them.
New Arc has faced a host of challenges in recent months.
The Auchnagatt sanctuary was left with a £10,000 repair bill after it was struck by Storm Frank.
And earlier this month a fraudster targeted the charity’s Ellon branch shop with counterfeit money.