BURY North MP James Frith has written to the Prime Minister to ask to discuss how to minimise the impact on Bury Hospice after the charity had £235,000 stolen by online fraudsters.

Mr Frith wrote to Theresa May describing the issue as a “matter of great importance” to people in Bury.

He wants Mrs May to meet with him and representatives of the hospice and NHS to try and negotiate a way to plug any financial shortfall the Rochdale Old Road charity might be faced with.

In an open letter, Mr Frith said Bury Hospice is a hugely cherished resource for Bury and an integral part of the town’s health service.

He added: “It provides excellent, vital, end of life care to those suffering with disease or the terminally ill.

“Thousands of local families have been touched in some way by the hospice, and many more donate to it regularly, ensuring vital funding to keep its doors open, providing essential palliative care.”

Mr Frith described the fraud as a “theft from the entire town”, adding: “I hope you will help us redress this matter and restore justice for those in need of its care."

The hospice’s chairman, Professor Eileen Fairhurst, said there will be no immediate impact on hospice services after the fraud, which has been described as “sophisticated” and “sickening”.

The online crooks plundered hospice bank accounts last week following an elaborate hoax involving an online virus check.

Prof Fairhurst said: “We are shocked and sickened that fraudsters would target hospices and other charities. It is beneath contempt when you think how this money was raised by hard-working volunteers and kind benefactors – and what it is needed for.

“We are now carrying out a full investigation and keeping in close contact with our bank.

“Our own protection systems are now subject to extensive review."

She added: “There will be no immediate impact on the running of Bury Hospice and we will continue to provide an excellent service to those in the Bury community who need us.”

Prof Fairhurst said all avenues are now being explored to recover the money and the matter is being investigated by the police national fraud investigation team.

Other charities in the Greater Manchester area have also been targeted in a similar way and some have also suffered financial loss.

And hospices in other parts of the UK have also been victims of online theft.

Police and the Charity Commission have been informed about the fraud.