BURGLARS who forced their way into the base of a Keighley organisation which helps deprived local households have "robbed their own people" according to the scheme's manager.

Gary O'Hara, manager of the Keighley Furniture Project in Oakworth Road, condemned those responsible for breaking into the non-profit organisation's property early in the hours of last Thursday. (May 19) "They aren't doing their own cause any good," he added. "We are here to provide a service to the community, so all they are doing is disrupting that service, which is a shame.

"I believe they must have known the layout of the building because they just came straight to our office where the till is. They didn't go for anything else."

Mr O'Hara said the till – which was stolen with all its contents – had unfortunately been fuller than normal due to some late sales, and had contained £300.

He said security camera footage had picked up one or two shadowy, hooded burglars in the yard outside the building. One can clearly be seen carrying a shovel and wandering slowly around the yard shortly before the break-in.

The burglars caused considerable damage while using the shovel and several other tools to smash their way into the property at about 3.40am last Thursday.

Mr O'Hara said the building's caretaker was on the scene shortly afterwards after being alerted by the intruder alarm, but the criminals had already fled.

"They smashed our office windows, which were custom made, broke a television table and damaged a brand new computer screen when they knocked it over," he said.

"The total cost, including the money which has been stolen, the replacement till and a day of lost takings is likely to come to about £2,000.

"We've been here for 16 years and have been burgled before, but that was quite a long time ago.

"With our CCTV you can't really tell what the burglars look like but our neighbour does have good quality cameras and I've been able to get hold of some better footage.

"We just don't need all this disruption. It's not what we're here for is it?"

The award winning Keighley Furniture Project was set up to help people on low incomes needing household items. Since 1979 the group has been collecting donations of furniture and other basic household goods.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said the burglars had used tools to prise a security grill away from a window before entering and stealing the till.

He asked anyone with information about the incident to contact police via the 101 non-emergency number, call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 and quote the 13160213308 crime reference number.