TWO thieves broke in to a social club last night and stole a charity collection tin containing hundreds of pounds.

The Wiremill Social Club, on Musselburgh's Balcarres Road, suffered a break-in just after midnight, with a hooded individual caught on CCTV smashing the club’s charity box and taking notes from inside it.

A spokesperson for the club said they were alerted to the break-in by their alarm system and that one of the thieves, who was with an accomplice, stole up to £300 of charity money, which was to be split between a number of good causes.

They said: “They entered by smashing a window and we got alerted by the alarm company that there was an intruder.

“They smashed the charity bottle which is kept behind our bar shutters and took what money they could, no more than £300. The bottle gets split between charities of our choice when it’s full.

“They took a walk through our games room and back into our front lounge and left.

“They only managed to take the notes from the charity bottle, which is the lowest of the low.”

The spokesperson said the window at the club, which has now been boarded up, will have to be replaced.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.50am on Thursday, 21 March, 2024, officers received a report of a break-in at a premises on Balcarres Road, Musselburgh.

“Enquiries are ongoing.”