Thieves who broke into an Ipswich Rugby Club pavilion and stole a Poppy Appeal tin just hours before the club’s remembrance event have been branded ‘scum of the earth’.
Andrew Moore, director of Rugby at Ipswich YM Rugby Club in Rushmere St Andrew, said he believes they gained entry to the clubhouse through a rear door between 12.05am and 1.15am on Sunday morning, November 10.
After smashing their way in, the bar was ransacked and a mobile phone and the club's poppy collection tin was stolen.
He said they brought a curb stone into the building, using it to batter and break into some of the inner doors on the hunt for more items to steal.
It comes the night after the club hosted its hugely successful fireworks night celebrations, which was attended by more than 1,000 people.
Mr Moore said: "They are scum of the earth.
"The poppy collection tin was at the end of the bar with the box of poppies. "They have rifled through the bar looking for money and have then taken the poppy tin and a mobile phone.
"It's just disgusting.
"They also left the beer taps on.
"They have also gone though my car and stolen a handbag."
Mr Moore said the break-in happened just hours before the club's big remembrance event.
He said: "It is all stuff that insurance can cover but it was the poppy appeal box that has got us really angry. "We have a big remembrance event here every year and it really means a lot to us. "It's just despicable, especially with what we have going on today.
"You would think even the scum of the earth would have the decency not to touch a poppy tin."
He said he did not know how much money was in the tin but that they had collected a lot of cash from the previous night's fireworks event.
"It's a real kick in the teeth, he said.
"There was other stuff they could have taken but they stole the tin instead.
"I would have preferred to just give them the money rather than that."
If you saw anything suspicious at the Rugby Club in the early hours of Sunday morning or know anything about the break-in, call Suffolk police on 101 quoting crime reference CAD 85 of Sunday, November 10.
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