A BRAZEN thief snatched thousands of pounds worth of shop takings and charity money from a staff member’s handbag at a Chester fish spa.
Police have released CCTV footage of the callous culprit who has left staff at Heavenly Feet in Godstall Lane ‘traumatised’ after he entered the shop and made a grab for owner Eilir Roberts’ handbag.
The bag contained five days of shop takings amounting to £3,000, as well as more than £100 raised for children’s charity Miles of Smiles.
Mrs Roberts had turned away from the shop counter for less than a minute when the thief entered through the front door reception, reached behind the desk and made off with her handbag.
A staff member caught sight of the man, whose face was captured clearly on CCTV, as he fled the shop.
Mrs Roberts’s daughter Sioned, 29, manager of Heavenly Feet, said her mother was ‘too traumatised’ to work for a week and has been left ‘just devastated’ by the incident.
“We’ve lost a lot of cashflow obviously, but the worst thing about it is losing the money we raised for Miles of Smiles,” she said.
“It’s sod’s law that we had actually counted the money up that we’d raised and it was in mum’s bag all ready to be handed over to the charity.
“It is a vulnerable time of year for local businesses but we’re a strong team and we’re fighting fit.
“I’m not scared, I just want all the support I can get to catch him.”
Cheshire Constabulary spokeswoman Shelley Williams said: “The theft of a handbag was reported to us on October 30 from a shop in Godstall Lane, Chester, and police are still examining CCTV images of the suspect.”
If you have any information about this incident, call Cheshire Constabulary on 0845 458 000.
