CALLOUS thieves have stolen more than 400 bags of clothing which were destined to help an animal charity.
A PDSA collector had been due to collect the pink sacks in the Oswestry and Wrexham areas on the morning of August 5, but they were dismayed to find they had already been taken before he arrived.
Jenny Hamer, from the PDSA, said the thefts of the bags had robbed them of a valuable resource.
"Over 400 charity bags had been given to houses in both areas and on the day of collection only two were picked up."
Local supporters from both areas have reported seeing a man in a red van picking up charity bags in the early hours on the morning of the incident.
The sacks, which were full of items such as clothes, toys, home furnishings and books, were intended for the charity's Wrexham shop.
Store manager, Rose Morris, said: "It's awful that people can steal from a charity.
"We have lost out on valuable donations that would have helped raise vital funds for poorly pets and are now urging our supporters to be vigilant when leaving PDSA sacks outside their homes."
Rose now hopes that people will try to help and make up for the lost items by bringing donations to the shop.
She added: "If any of our supporters see something suspicious, we'd like them to record the vehicle registration number if possible and get in touch."
Police in Oswestry and Wrexham said that the incident had not been reported to them but would follow-up any complaints.