THIEVES have wrecked a charity shop which raises money for the terminally ill.

Staff at the Teesside Hospice charity shop, in Eston, near Redcar, east Cleveland, have been left sickened by the crime.

The stolen stock - including baby clothing, Wedgwood china, videos, and CDs - had been donated by people across the region.

Shop manager Joan Christon did not realise anything was wrong when she arrived at the premises in Eston High Street, but then realised the shutter mechanism had been damaged.

"When I lifted the shutter I was appalled at what I saw," she said last night. "The door had been forced open and not only had they taken goods from the shop they had ransacked the shop.

"Rails had been torn from the walls, filing cabinets had been broken into and emptied, paperwork was strewn across the premises and everything has been pulled apart.''

The shop is believed to have been broken into some time between Christmas and New Year's Day, although details were only revealed last night.

Among the goods taken were a professional steamer used for preparing clothing, Teesside Hospice-branded tea towels and aprons, a vacuum cleaner and even price stickers.

Police believe the thieves must have spent some time in the shop and a vehicle was used to take their haul of stolen items away.

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said: "It is not only the fact that the thieves chose to target a charity shop that was sickening, it was the way in which the burglary was carried out.

"The shop was completely destroyed - they had ripped everything apart and had even opened Christmas cards that volunteers had left in the shop to see if there was any cash inside them."

Anybody with any information about the break-in is asked to contact Cleveland Police on (01642) 326326.