ANGRY office workers were left with an empty space under their Christmas tree after a thief snatched their presents.

Four bags of gifts were stolen from the offices of chartered accountancy firm, Hunter Gee and Holroyd, in York, as workers gathered them together ready for a Christmas party.

The presents had been bought by women colleagues for each other as part of an annual secret Santa.

VAT administrator Helen Harris, 63, said: "If we had known that they were going to be stolen we would have bought something more appropriate, like a slap in the face."

The thief struck on Thursday night at 6pm while the presents were gathered behind the business's reception. It remains a mystery how the opportunist got into the building, which has an entrance guarded by a security code.