WATCH thieves make off with haul from Beacon Centre charity shop

The 12 bags and two boxes were left outside of the Beacon Centre for the Blind, based on Wolverhampton Road East, Sedgley, late Sunday afternoon.

The bags were filled with donated clothes and other items ready for staff at the centre to go through and prepare for sale in their charity shop.

Footage which was recorded by a passerby shows how one of the thieves, the driver of a 2002 blue Audi estate car, pulls up and opens the back door to let another person, already at the scene, load up the car.

The pair then pile up the bags in the back seats in the five minute raid on the goods, discussing what items they will have.

The duo are finally spooked by a black Ford Focus which turns in the driveway of the charity centre. They return to the car and drive off.

It was reported that Stephen Jeavons, who posted about the theft and included the footage on Facebook.

The 59-year-old, who is a maths tutor, said: "I had seen something similar happen over the last Bank Holiday but I wasn't quick enough to get any footage. After that I vowed that I would catch them next time.

"She was wearing such a distinctive bright orange top that she caught my eye. Then I saw the car swing around and a man in a grey tracksuit got out. They piled up the bags and drove off.

"I have to watch my language when I describe what I think of them. These donations were going to people who are worse off than us, to help them. It was totally brazen.

"They had no need, just greed."

His post has since been shared more than 5,000 times.

Tracey Ford, head of enterprise and operations at the Beacon Centre, said: "It's so frustrating. This is not the first time it's happened either. On May 21 I reported a similar theft. It seems to happen over a weekend.

"As I see it, we work hard to support people with sight impairment and then people like this come along and effectively are robbing from the blind.

"Each bag, depending on the contents could be worth anything from £75 to £200. We are in desperate need of donations.

"All the donations go on for sale in our seven charity shops in Sedgley, Halesowen, Penkridge, Wednesbury, Bloxwich, Bilston and Cannock. The fund go directly to our services including our day centre activities and supporting people to live independently in the future."

Now the centre is paying to install a clothing bank in the grounds of the Sedgley Centre to help combat the threat of theft.

Tracey continued: "It's a very sad world we live in when people can't make donations in the faith that they won't be stolen.

"We are going to install the clothing bank so that people can give donations more securely. What I will say is that if anyone wants to make a donation, people visit us Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4.30pm at any one of our stores. Anything we don't use we recycle and we can collect larger pieces if needed too."

The incident was reported to the police who released a statement.

The statement from West Midlands Police said: "Police were made aware of the theft of a number of charity bags from outside the Beacon Centre in Sedgley on Monday, June 26.

"It is believed a man and woman were seen placing a number of the charity bags filled with donated clothes and items into a car before driving off in a blue Audi estate.

"Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting log 733 of June 26."

The Beacon Centre charity first began life in 1875 as the Wolverhampton Society for the Blind. Its purpose was to visit blind people in the area and give them an opportunity to learn to read by deciphering embossed type.

In 1882 the charity acquired a house in Alexandra Street where five blind men could work and in 1899 it is became one of the first charities in the UK to open its own shop. The retail unit, on Victoria Street in Wolverhampton, sold baskets, chair seating and mats which had been made by the men and women based in a workshop on the same site.

The new Beacon Centre opened in 2009 with facilities open to all members of the public.