A hospice has had to pay thousands of pounds out of its own pocket after a charity shop was broken into.

St Helena Hospice said its shop on Magdalen Street in Colchester was targeted by thieves between 6pm (BST) on Saturday and 1.30am (CET) on Sunday.

Nothing was stolen, but repairs and lost revenue during the shop’s two-day closure cost the charity more than £2,500.

The hospice urged anyone with information about the incident to contact Essex Police.

Earlier this year, St Helena Hospice’s shop in Dovercourt was broken into twice within four months.

Jo Ince, area retail manager, said the money the charity lost following the latest break-in would be enough to run the hospice’s inpatient unit for more than ten hours.

“It breaks our hearts that this has happened to us again,” she said.

“This is vital money that should be spent supporting patients and their families.”

St Helena Hospice in north-east Essex provides specialised palliative and end-of-life care for terminally ill patients.

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