thieves have stolen £1,000 of heating oil from a charity which provides holidays for disadvantaged children.

Staff at the CHICKS Coastal Retreat in Tywardreath were shocked to discover that the wooden gates to the site had been sawn through to gain access to the grounds and the entire contents of the oil tank, used for heating the building, had been stolen.

Head of operations Rod Webb-Taylor said: 'It's shocking and upsetting that a theft like this has happened.

'The oil tank had recently been filled in order to cater for the special residential breaks we held over Christmas for disadvantaged children and we estimate that around £1,000 of oil was stolen in total.

'As a charity that relies solely on voluntary donations, it's a big loss for us and it's a really sad way to start the New Year.'

The incident took place between 8pm on Saturday, January 17, and 12.15pm on Sunday, and was immediately reported to the police.

The police say they would like to hear from anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area. Anyone with information can contact them on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

CHICKS has owned the property in Tywardreath since 2003 and has helped thousands of children from across Cornwall and the UK.