CHILDREN have been left heartbroken after thieves broke into their youth club and stole £200 worth of sweets which they had bought for their Golden Jubilee celebrations.

The thieves struck on the same night that members of the youth club had been working hard to clear graffiti from the outside of the building and making decorations in preparation for the celebration parties over the Jubilee bank holiday weekend.

A gang of teenagers is believed to have responsible for the attack at Sunnyside Community Centre in Great Lever.

The raiders had prised apart the wire mesh over the windows of the youth club in Moisant Street before snatching the boxes of sweets and drinks which were going to be sold by the youngsters to raise money for the club during the bank holiday weekend.

Volunteers run the centre which hosts an after-school club for children aged five to 10 on Tuesdays and a youth club for 10-14 year-olds on Fridays.

Sunnyside Residents and Tenants Association chairman, Eileen Barlow, had spotted a gang of youths loitering around the centre all evening and had taken pictures of them which she has passed on to the police.

She and the other volunteers believe the stolen goods have not been sold as they found a trail of half-chewed sweets on the streets of the estate following the break-in.

Mrs Barlow said: "Why do some youths continually give Great Lever a bad name?

"We will have to re-stock all the sweets and drinks or the children will be gutted, but this means we will be spending money which should have been used on something else for the club."

Anyone with information about the attack is urged to call Mrs Barlow on 01204 657681.