Staff at a Dundee charity shop have been left reeling after a brazen thief walked in and stole their till.
The thief struck at the St Margaret’s Hospice store in Reform Street, minutes after the shop opened for business on Monday.
Assistant manager Sharon Moran was tending to a customer and discovered the theft when she returned to the counter.
The theft occurred so early in the day that no purchases had gone through the till and only the float of £50 was in the cash drawer.
Manager Paul Smith said it was a loss the charity which provides services for Scotland’s sick at their Clydebank hospice could ill afford.
He said: “It is unbelievable the till is plugged into an extension cable with other things and that is actually wrapped round the leg of the counter.”
Mr Smith said the theft shocked his staff but is determined not to be beaten and a cash box has been found until a replacement till arrives.
He said: “Just when everything was positive and the people of Dundee were helping us to really do our best, some eejit comes along and undoes all the good work.”
Police have appealed for witnesses to any suspicious activity in the Reform Street area on Monday morning to come forward.