Thieves looted donations left outside two charity shops intended to raise cash for the needy.

Goods donated by kind-hearted residents are being ransacked from outside the Fircroft Trust’s Tolworth and Surbiton stores.

Disgusted staff have resorted to photographing thieves in the act in a bid to curb the crime, which is estimated to cost thousands of pounds every year.

Every item stolen diverts vital funds for people with mental health problems and an integral new care home in Hook.

In one of the most brazen thefts a shoplifter walked into the Surbiton shop in the middle of the day two weeks ago and stole a viola worth £230 from the window display.

Clive Galley, 43, deputy manager, said he has leaned out of his flat window above the Tolworth shop and photographed several shoplifters.

Mr Galley, a head chef who became involved with the charity three years ago, said the thieves strike continuously.

He said: “We have had donations stolen every night by van men who carry it out to other countries.

“We are losing thousands and thousands of pounds every year due to crime.

“At one point we even stuck a photo in the window naming and shaming.”

A CCTV camera has been put up in the shop in Surbiton, but donations left outside both shops are still being rifled through in the night by thieves.

Isabelle Adam from the Charity Retail Association said: “It is disgraceful. To take things from the outside the charity shop – you are stealing from the charity.”

A spokesman for Kingston police said the Alexandra safer neighbourhood team had contacted shop staff to see if they wanted to pursue the reports.

She said: "We will also continue to visit the premises regularly while on patrol. The taking of donations is a crime and we take any reports very seriously indeed."