CCTV catches 'thief putting poppy tin down trousers' in Lancashire pub
Footage of the incident released by the pub in Lancashire received 100,000 views in the hours after it was published on Facebook.
Tuesday 7 November 2017 07:41, UK
Police are investigating after a man was caught on CCTV apparently stealing a Poppy Appeal collection tin from a pub by putting it down the front of his tracksuit.
Footage released by The Dickens Inn pub in Cleveleys, Lancashire, on Facebook showed a man dressed in a blue and white sweatshirt entering the pub before unhooking the tin from the box containing poppies.
He then appeared to look around before loosening his trousers, grabbing the tin and shoving it down.
The video, which has since been removed from the social media site, received almost 100,000 views just hours aftrer it was published.
Pub landlord Brian Jenkinson, 52, said: "The box in question was approximately half full, mainly £1 coins as it's the box with all the bigger items in.
"We get a lot of ex-servicemen in the pub and the Royal British Legion is just across the road.
"That box in particular I know contained at least £60 because I put £40 in there myself, and all the staff have been putting in 50% of their tips."
Mr Jenkinson discovered the tin had gone after a member of the public found the charity box, which had been emptied of cash, abandoned in an alleyway.
He searched through the pub's CCTV to find the moment it happened.
"The veterans need every penny they get nowadays because there's no Government funding for them any more and I'm especially disappointed for the staff who offered their own wages," Mr Jenkinson said.
A spokeswoman for Lancashire Police said no arrests had been made and that an investigation was ongoing.