SHOPPERS and staff were left “disgusted” after a charity store in Ilminster was burgled.

Jackie Cambridge, manager of the Sue Ryder shop in East Street, arrived for work on Thursday morning to find the back door wide open, apparently kicked in by the culprits to break into the shop.

Mrs Cambridge told the News that though not a great deal of cash was taken the fact that it was taken from a charity shop made the crime all the more sickening.

She said: “I was terrified when I arrived and saw the door open – I wondered if someone was still in the shop, so I called the police.

“Items were strewn across the office and our safe had been rifled with £58 taken.

“We’re a community shop that helps a lot of people and to think that somebody could do that to us is quite upsetting.”

An old coin and a rare copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone were also taken.

A forensics team spent the morning at the store – if anyone has information about the raid they are urged to call Ilminster police on 101.