WORKERS at a fruit and veg store in Horwich have been left disgusted after a charity box was swiped from the premises.

The Fruit Shop in Lee Lane had a collection tin on the front counter by the till to raise money for Help For Heroes.

But last Thursday, employees found that the box was missing after two customers visited the store to buy two potatoes.

Julie Bailey, who was working at the time, said: "Two lads come in and one of them came and bought some stuff, obviously to distract us, and then they went.

"We did not realise it had gone until about an hour or so afterwards."

Ms Bailey said they were both wearing baseball caps and described one as quite tall and the other as quite short.

She said: "He only bought a couple of potatoes. He came up to the counter, I turned around and he was right in my face so my view of the other person was blocked.

"The box was full to the top so there was probably about £20 or £30 in there."

She said it happened at about 9.10am on Thursday, April 19.

She added: "It's just not right, they are thieving scumbags."

The recent incident came less than a month after two charity collection boxes were taken from Brewed Coffee, also in Lee Lane.

The opportunist thief snatched the cash, intended for Children's Cancer Research and Marie Curie.

He was captured on CCTV hovering around the counter area of the Lee Lane shop, while co-owner Moumita Patel is busy in the kitchen.

He first takes money from the Marie Curie collection box cash, and then grabs the larger container for Children's Cancer Research.

The cafe owners think about £100 could have been in the Cancer Research box.

Cafe co-owner Raj Patel, who says he missed the burglary by 'about 30 seconds' said he was disgusted.

He said: " It's a low-life kind of attitude, of all things he has chosen to target charity boxes.

"He didn't look like he was a poor kind of person. It was just an opportunity for him.

They intend to invest in upgrading their CCTV to increase their security.

Anyone who has any information on either incident should call police on 101.

Alternatively, people can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555