BURGLARS left a trail of damage after breaking into a hospice.

Staff at St Cuthbert's Hospice, in Durham City, arrived at work to find intruders had broken into a garage, damaged the minibus used to transport terminally-ill patients and had removed vital wheelchair equipment.

A door had been forced to the garage behind the unit in Park House Road, Merryoaks, and the back window of the Renault minibus had been smashed with a stone.

Wheelchair clamps and a first aid kit were stolen.

The £20,000 minibus was bought in November 2003 after a fundraising campaign by members of Elvet Methodist Church.

Ann Fleming, palliative care nurse at the hospice, discovered the break-in, which happened last week.

She said: "I can't understand why people would do it - it's not as if we keep anything in the minibus.

"You would think as a hospice we would be immune to this sort of thing, but clearly we're not."

She added: "Thankfully, there were no patients relying on the minibus because we had just closed for the Christmas holidays, but had it been the day before it would have caused real problems because it was the Christmas party and guests wouldn't have been able to attend."

Insp Adrian Green, of Durham police, said: "It really was a stupid thing to do as the wheelchair clamps are of no use to anyone else.

"All the vandals have achieved is to put the minibus out of action and create more work for those running the hospice.

"If the clamps are returned or left somewhere they can easily be found it would at least show the thieves have some conscience."