A THIEF has raided a container full of old shoes.

Staff at Wyevale's Jack's Patch garden centre, Bishopsteignton, were amazed when they found somebody had rifled through the charity shoe box in the car park.

The culprit sorted through the discarded footwear donated by customers and chose several pairs to steal.

Others were left carefully placed in pairs on the car park at the weekend.

The shoes of all shapes and sizes and varieties are collected by European Recycling, and refurbished to be distributed by the Variety Club to needy people in this country and abroad.

'I am sure most people would find this sad and disappointing. Who would stoop so low to steal from the needy?' asked Hedley Triggs, the centre manager.

'We are taking steps to prevent it happening again.'