Families in Bournemouth left without food due to “nasty actions” of vandals
A Bournemouth food charity is out of pocket £2,500 after thieves targeted their vans twice in one week
A spate of thefts carried out on a Dorset food charity is a “horrible reflection of society”, says its trustee.
Hope For Food in Bournemouth is out of pocket more than £2,500 after thieves targeted their vans twice in one week.
Hooded offenders were seen on CCTV drilling into the van’s fuel tanks causing diesel to leak and leaving the vehicle out of action.
Charity trustee and operations manager Mary Duncan told us: “This is just another sad indictment of our society.
“It’s disappointing that there are people out there who can't think of anything better to do and would stoop so low to target a charity.
“We're not an isolated incident but we feel it most keenly because we're a food charity and we try to help people in the community who are really struggling.”
Families left without food
It is estimated that 150 families in need and a further 80 homeless people went without food or essential supplies for a week as a result of the “nasty actions” of the vandals.
Mary said the financial impact is huge: “To repair each van is around £1,200 so this is going to cost us up to £2,500 and that money could and should have gone towards feeding the families we support.
“We rely on donations and this has stopped us on two occasions from delivering food to people.
“The irony is that if these people came to us, we would go out of our way to help them but I don't think they are in need… I think they're just in need of something to do which is mischievous and nasty.”
A Dorset Police spokesperson said when the fuel tank was damaged, officers searched for the culprits but they had fled the scene.
"We are carrying out an investigation into this incident and will explore all available lines of enquiry."