ANIMAL charity bosses have condemned a thief who snatched £300 from a fund-raising stall.

Members of Bolton and Radcliffe Cats Protection League were left shattered after the theft blighted a successful canopy sale.

It is thought the quick-fingered thief struck as the charity group was packing away tables at Victoria Square in Bolton on Saturday afternoon (Nov 18), grabbing a wallet containing hundreds of pounds, from a tin.

Luckily, loose change, totalling £338, was left alone. But Barbara Angold, chairman of the long-established charity group, says she and Sandra Coop, who runs the Halliwell cat pens, were devastated by the theft.

Mrs Angold, of Bolton Road, Radcliffe, said: "In all the years we have held these canopy sales, nothing like this has ever happened. The wallet was kept in the tin but when we got it home it had gone.

"It was such a terrible shock to discover the cash had gone. We searched through all our boxes but the wallet has not been found.

"We had spent all day in the cold and rain collecting this money which will help our funds. Whoever has done this is an absolute rat. To steal money from a charity is a terrible thing to do."

The stolen money, which could have totalled more than £300, would have been a welcome cash injection for the cat charity which provides care for stray, injured and unwanted felines.

The registered charity, which receives no subsidies, relies solely on voluntary donations and fund-raising activities to help pay for food and veterinary bills, totalling more than £1,000 a month.

Special cat pens in Radcliffe and Halliwell provide temporary homes for up to 30 animals prior to them being rehoused. Bolton police chiefs confirmed they were probing the theft of the cash, with Chief Insp Alan Green adding: "This was a despicable crime."