"Terrible" thieves 'broke through the front door' to a charity shop that raises money to support terminally ill people, raided the shop's safe, and stole 'about £350'.

Staff at St Raphael’s Hospice Charity Shop in the High Street in Ewell village turned up at work on Saturday, January 14 to find the front door open.

Surrey Police officers believe overnight, offenders had broken in through the front door, found a safe in the back of the store and forced it open.

A spokesperson for the force said about £350 was stolen from inside the safe. At this time it doesn’t appear anything else had been stolen.

A Surrey Police spokesperson said: “Burglary is a terrible crime that affects victims on a very personal level.

“However, (the) burglary in Ewell village affects not just staff but a community.”

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St Raphael’s hospices offer free medical and nursing support to people living in Merton and Sutton who are facing life-threatening illnesses.

The force urges anybody who saw anyone inside the property or acting suspiciously around the store between 5pm on Friday, January 13, and 9am on Saturday to come forward.

To offer information, call Surrey Police on 101, quoting crime reference number 45170004486, or report online at https://report.police.uk