A THIEF has taken a sweet jar full of money intended for the tsunami appeal after bursting through the doors of a North-East off-licence.

The thief stunned staff in the Burn Valley Wines store, in Hartlepool, when he grabbed the jar, containing about £40, off the counter before running out of the shop just after 7pm on Thursday.

Luckily, staff had been regularly emptying the jar, which had a sign around it making it clear the cash was for the appeal, and had already collected nearly £300.

Shirley Laking, senior sales assistant, said the theft was over in a matter of seconds.

She said: "I have never seen anyone move so fast, he was in and out within seconds, but he was caught on security footage.

"This person must have no conscience. However, he will have got a bit of a surprise when he opens the jar, because we had taken all the large denomination cash out and all that was left was the small change.

"The man had his head well covered, so we couldn't give a good description of him, but hopefully someone will know who it is and contact the police."

The man was described as wearing a green Reebok jacket with the hood pulled tightly around his head. He is believed to have been talking to two young boys at the bus stop near the shop in York Road, prior the theft.

The two youngsters are asked to contact the police to help with inquiries.

On New Year's Day, thieves broke into the King Johns Tavern, also in Hartlepool, and stole a bucket overflowing with £10 and £20 notes.

Regulars had donated between £500 and £1,000 for the appeal, and drinkers had to dig deeper to replace their original donations so the money still gets through to the right hands.

Chris Judson, duty manager at Burn Valley Wines, said: "Whoever stole this money is the scum of the earth."

Anyone with information about the theft, or the one at the King Johns Tavern, is asked to call PC Dave Cheesebrough on (01642) 302126.