A CHARITY shop in Halesowen has been hit by six break-ins within two years – depriving researchers of thousands of pounds in their quest for cancer cures and treatments.

In the latest raid on the Cancer Research UK shop in High Street thieves escaped with a £70 Wii console and caused about £200 damage to the door.

Last Wednesday's break-in was the second in two weeks – thieves had previously tried and failed to remove a safe, but caused damage running into hundreds of pounds.

Manageress Jean Shaw said: “It’s a nightmare. We dread coming in in the morning for fear of what we might find.

“It the mass they make as well – they ransack the place, looking for gold and money, but we obviously have none.”

Volunteer Linda Randall said it was thought someone may have seen the console for sale and targeted it, as nothing else was stolen.

But the charity has now installed a burglar alarm In a bid to finally thwart the intruders.

One past offender was caught and jailed, said Mr Randall, when police traced him through DNA tests after he drank the volunteers’ milk.

She added: “It’s terrible, especially when it’s charity shop. Everyone is touched by cancer, but those who do this sort of thing obviously just don’t care.”