A MANAGER has been forced to lock up goods at her New Forest charity shop - because heartless thieves are stealing designer outfits.

Angela Hobby of the Marie Curie Cancer Care shop in Lymington is astonished anyone could sink so low as to deprive genuine cancer patients from the care the stolen profits would provide.

A former cancer patient herself, said she loses anything up to £150 a week because of the shoplifting menace.

She said: "I just don't know how people can steal from people who are dying.

"I think they think because we don't pay for it it doesn't matter, but it does.

"They're stealing from little children who are dying and they're stealing from parents who are watching their children die.

"The more they steal the more they're depriving them of care and comfort in their final hours. I hope they don't get cancer."

Angela, 40, who overcame cancer of the thyroid, said the intention was to tighten security measures at the shop, although she is worried it may reduce sales.

"We're going to be chaining it up from now on," she said.

"Short of supplying private security I don't know what else we can do.

"It's very frustrating.

"Now the expensive garments will be chained up at the front of the shop and will only be accessible with a key.

"Hopefully that will alleviate the problem somewhat.

"But it's quite possible we'll see a reduction in sales. If we chain it up customers might decide they can't be bothered to go to the hassle of asking sales staff to unlock it."

Angela said she has never reported the problem to police because she feels they will be powerless to act unless she catches thieves red-handed.

But Sergeant Edwards of Lymington Police said: "We do get reports of thefts from charity shops.

"For someone to steal from people genuinely in need - I think that is rather despicable to be quite honest.

"We would recommend CCTV and to report all crimes to the police."