How could they? Raiders cause £20k damage to Wolverhampton's Compton Hospice

Staff say everyone at the hospice has been left distraught by the raid, which left seminar rooms at the hospice's education centre on Compton Road West flooded and water damaged.

That raid happened in the early hours of Monday, but details have only now been released.

At around 2am on Wednesday, the thieves returned to remove lead from the Lymphoedema building, causing roof tiles to fall and smash on the ground outside the clinic.

Treatment sessions there had to be cancelled.

Catalytic converters from three vans were also stolen, leaving the vehicles unable to collect donations from the public for the hospice's charity shops.

Chief executive Ron Middleton said: "How thieves could think of targeting a charitable organisation for 'profit' is quite beyond my comprehension. These heartless individuals have caused a huge amount of disruption and the consequences of their actions will have a direct impact on the care we provide. Everyone here at the hospice is utterly distraught."

Spokeswoman Grace Ruston added: "It is estimated that the cost of repairing the damage caused by thieves will amount to over £20,000. This figure includes repair to the roof, replacing the catalytic converters on our vans and the cost of hiring replacement vehicles whilst our vans are off the road."

"Every year it gets harder and harder to raise funds. Now we find ourselves in a position where we need to raise an additional £20,000 on top of the money we seek to raise for patient care. This is a significant amount of money that could have gone towards providing all important care for patients with terminal illnesses, and instead we are having to raise funds to clear up the mess left by these callous thieves. It is truly heart-breaking."

Anyone wanting to make a donation to Compton Hospice has been asked to do so here.