An Angus town has come together to form a “vigilante” guard, following the theft of hundreds of pounds worth of donations from a charity shop.
Oxfam in Orange Lane, Montrose, has seen several bags full of assorted items lifted from their doorstep over the last few weeks.
The goods have been left there by supporters of the charity who could not make the drop during opening hours but have then simply been removed from the doorstep by opportunistic passers-by.
Residents in the flats opposite the store alerted manager Jim Fraser to the issue, after spotting people brazenly taking the assorted stock when staff were away.
Now a group of residents have pledged to keep an eye on the store front overnight and even collect and house donations to keep them safe.
Mr Fraser said, “It was the people who live across the street from the shop that came in to tell us that we had stuff being taken all the time, particularly at night.
“They offered to set up a sort of vigilante organisation to guard what gets left. One woman came in to say she will pick up the deliveries and put them over her fence, rather than see them left at the door.
“Another gentlemen said he would keep stuff in his shed for us so I can then send one of the younger ones over in the morning to pick it up.
“I have even had an elderly diabetic gentlemen who said he will get changed and walk up the street to make sure nobody is taking anything. The response has been great.”
Mr Fraser estimates around half of all stock left overnight is taken, with the thieves even stooping to raking through the store’s bins at the weekend.
He added, “Maybe it is somebody stealing it to go on and sell it at car boot sales I just don’t know.”
In one case a woman driver was spotted sizing up a child’s tricycle that had been left in the doorway, before returning 20 minutes later with a child to sit on the toy to see if it would fit. The thief then packed the trike into the back of the car and drove away with it.
Mr Fraser said, “I wonder what she thinks when she sees that child on that trike. Just 50p will keep an African child alive for 24 hours, and how many 50ps were in that trike?”
The incidents at Oxfam follow similar thefts from the town’s PDSA and DebRA charity store where donated items, including clothes, books and crockery, were being stolen.
All charities are now urging anybody who wishes to hand in goods to do so during opening hours wherever possible.