A severely disabled woman who spent hours battling to complete a charity race has been left devastated after a thief broke in and stole her Race for Life sponsorship money while she hid in the bathroom of her home.

Angela Underhill uses a wheelchair and has multiple sclerosis.

She was in the bathroom of her home in Gosforth Place, Hoole on Tuesday morning, while her carer Mark Rushan left her for a matter of minutes to visit the shops, when she heard her front door open.

Shocked, terrified and unable to move, the 51-year-old had to sit and listen as an intruder rifled through her belongings before fleeing through the front door.

When Mr Rushan returned and helped her out of the bathroom, the pair discovered that the £240 Angela had raised in sponsorship money from Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life event had been plundered, as well as £110 from her own purse.

Angela, a qualified chef whose disability has left her unable to work, was left ‘exhausted’ after the 5k event on Sunday which she did at the specially wheelchair accessible Birkenhead Park, in honour of her father who successfully beat cancer earlier this year.

She had been deeply touched at people’s generosity toward her feat, including that of an elderly lady who was so touched by Angela’s efforts, that she gave her �140 in cash, which was swiped in the burglary.

Mr Rushan, who cares for Angela six days a week, described the incident as ‘heinous’ and spoke of his disgust at the intruder’s actions.

“I’d left the door unlocked for all of 10 minutes while I popped out to the shops for Angela and in that short time they managed to open the door and take her money,” he said.

“Angela is a woman who is very vulnerable but has dedicated her life to helping other people, despite her disability and having to cope with MS for the last 28 years.

“She is such a good person and Christian – she’s training to be a street pastor in Chester.

“She struggles to survive on her disability benefits – now she has been left with this to deal with, it’s absolutely heinous.

“Race for Life was not an easy challenge for her, but she did it through sweat, blood and tears, actually doing more than she should have, so for this to happen when she is not in a position to replace all the money that was so kindly donated to her is just awful.

“To be honest, Angela’s still numb with shock,” he added.

Detective Inspector Liam Furlong from Cheshire police who is investigating the incident said the crime was ‘nothing more than abhorrent and disrespectful’.

“This courageous lady has gone to considerable lengths to raise money for charity and a callous thief has entered her home and stolen the proceeds of a charitable event from her,” he said.

“I would urge anyone from the local community with any information regarding this burglary to contact the police where they will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence by my officers,” he added.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate the warning to ensure that during the hot weather, homeowners keep their doors locked and secure and remain vigilant to deter any opportunist thieves.

“We will do all we can to bring the individual responsible to justice.”