THE theft of a Christmas tree dedicated to the memory of lost loved ones has been branded “disgusting’’.

The 2ft tree, with commemorative lights, disappeared during a busy afternoon at St Luke’s Hospice charity shop, in High Road, Pitsea.

It was next to a book containing messages from friends and relatives to people who lost their battles against illness.

Val Lawley, who has been manager at the store for four years, said: “I think it’s disgusting.

“There isn’t much which gets my blood boiling, but I just couldn’t believe what happened.

“It was a really busy day and I didn’t have many volunteers in, so we were a bit short on the shop floor.

“If was after I had closed up on Wednesday and was vacuuming that I saw the tree had gone.

“This is a real community shop and a lot of customers who come in have lost someone, so the first thing they do is sit next to the tree and read the messages.”

Staff replaced the tree within a day, as they were worried about the emotional impact the theft would have on visitors to the shop.

The theft comes after the St Luke’s Hospice charity shops in Market Square, Basildon, and Grover Walk, Corringham, were raided by crooks in the space of a week.

The break-ins meant money which would otherwise have been spent helping seriously-ill people at the hospice, in Nethermayne Basildon, had to go towards repairing the damage.

Marilyn DeBattista, from St Luke’s, said: “We have been doing our Light up a Life campaign for years, and we have a tree in all of our charity shops, but nothing like that has ever happened before.

“The trees are there to remember people who have passed away and it’s a way of reflecting in our shops the work we do in the hospice.

“It has really upset our staff because they didn’t see it happen.

“I just don’t understand what is going on here. Why are people targeting charity shops?”

Anyone with information should contact Essex Police on 101.