HEARTBROKEN charity shop staff have blasted the “mindless idiocy” of vandals who set fire to donations outside their Poole branch.

Shop manager Sheila Goridge arrived at the British Heart Foundation shop at 7am on Tuesday (October 27) to find the charred remains of a large bag of clothes on the step.

The suspected arson attack also smashed windows and melted parts of the shop frontage, causing hundreds of pounds of damage.

“What have these people got for brains?” said Sheila.

“It’s mindless idiocy. What do you get out of something like this?

“We rely on these donations and the clothes are totally gone.

“There is nothing left.”

The shop was able to open on time at 9.30am yesterday but the clean-up operation took some time.

Smoke and water had seeped into the shop, and the cracked windows are now waiting to be replaced.

Sheila said that while they greatly appreciated donations, they did urge people not to leave bags on the steps of shops.

She said: “We are grateful for any donations but ask people not to leave them outside when we are not open.

“Usually they get ripped open but people setting light to them is something different.

“It’s the first and hopefully last time.”

Bins at the back of the shop have been attacked by suspected arsonists in the past.

Police said Tuesday morning’s “suspicious” blaze, which they believe was started deliberately, started at around 4.30am.

PC Andrew Huckman, of Poole police, is appealing for anyone with information about the attack to come forward. Call 01202 222222.

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