BRAZEN crooks cut a hole in a Maldon High Street shop before making off with cash and charity boxes.

Barry Mortimer, manager of Green’s greengrocer, came into his shop on Saturday morning to find a gaping hole burrowed through his shop’s back door.

The burglars had taken cash from the till and charity boxes filled with donations for Essex Air Ambulance, Chelmsford Cancer Charity and Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Mr Mortimer, who has managed the grocery for nearly six years, said: “It really is disgraceful. It’s not like they have just damaged a local business, but they have also taken away money that other people will have really needed.

“This act is lower than low and intolerable.”

Mr Mortimer said he was considering whether to continue to have charity boxes.

He added: “It’s such a shock because I now don’t know how to proceed with keeping charity boxes in the store.

“They have helped raise so much in the time I have had them in, but it appears that they’re making me a target.

“I want to be able to keep them in because of all the good they do, but if the charities end up getting nothing from them because I become a target for break-ins then I won’t be keen on keeping them.

“At present we don’t have any CCTV, which is also a factor.”

Mr Mortimer informed Essex police of the incident, who sent forensics to investigate, but the crooks had been wearing gloves so no DNA evidence was available.

A spokesman said: “The till and charity pots were stolen after suspects made a hole through the front wooden door to gain entry to the building.”

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police on 101.