Robbers steal charity donations and confectionary from local garden centre

Monday, 13 September 2021 15:25

By Adam Clark

Three people have been captured on CCTV stealing charity donations and sweets from Gordon Rigg Garden Centre in Rochdale.

At around 9:50 pm on Friday (10^th September) the group broke into the Kingsway based premises after scaling the fence to enter the building.

Those involved took sweets and soft drinks as well as charity collection boxes from local and national charities including Springhill Hospice, RSPCA, the Royal National Institute of Blind People & Macmillan Cancer Support.

They also smashed the store’s three tills that were empty.

Store Manager of Gordon Rigg in Rochdale, John Jackson said: “We leave the tills doors open so if people do come in, they can see there’s no money in the till.

“That didn’t make any difference they still rifled through the tills, smashed all the tills up.

“They took them back outside, up onto the roof, they got the charity boxes, but them on the roof and that’s where they smashed all the boxes open and tried to get in the tills.

Since it’s been shared on Facebook, he added: “I’m just getting names all day long, so I’ve been in touch with all the local schools this morning

“I’ve got three lads on CCTV walking down the road”

He was determined to have the store open the next day, they used the spare tills from the bistro and borrowed one from their Todmorden store.

Along with director Pauline Rigg and another member of staff Mr Jackson spent from 11:30 pm on Friday until around 4 am on Saturday morning cleaning up the damage made.

“Fair play to Pauline (Rigg), she’s picking grass up in the office and we were ready and back open for 9 am the morning after. She didn’t have to come out”

“We’ve had a fire before now and opened the day after”

Jackson confirmed all the CCTV and information has been passed to Greater Manchester Police.

He described those involved as “scum of the earth”

The store hasn’t let this get them down he concluded by saying, “Onwards and upwards, we are putting Christmas out tomorrow, puts us all in a better mood”

Greater Manchester Police have been contacted for comment.

(Lead Image Credit: Gordon Rigg Garden Centre)