Thieves swiped two charity boxes when they broke into a Halifax town centre restaurant.

The theft happened at Hatch Brunch House on Monday night and also saw the culprits make off with alcohol and staff tips.

Vicky Nolan, who runs the eatery on Northgate, posted that she was woken up in the middle of the night by an alert.

"My stomach dropped,” she said. “I knew something was wrong the second I saw it. And when we arrived, the door was ragged open. Our landline gone. Alcohol gone. Our staff tips — gone.

“And as if that wasn’t enough, they actually came back and helped themselves to the two charity boxes we’d been filling for Happy Days and Andy’s Man Club. Money meant to help people who are struggling — stolen without a second thought.”

Hatch has been open as usual and Vicky has thanked everyone who has been showing their support since the break-in.

"I feel completely shattered and a bit broken, but I can’t thank everyone so much for their kindness,” she posted.

"The world is a better place with you lovely people in it and for that I hold so much gratitude for.

"Thanks to my lovely team for being there for me today, it meant a lot that we kept some sort of normality through a horrible situation.”

Anyone with information about the theft should call police on 101 or use the live chat on West Yorkshire Police’s website.

Information can also be passed on anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

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