THIEVES smashed open a storage container at a youth football club and stole an unused electric generator- which had only been bought a week earlier.

Burglars broke into the grounds of the Basildon Girls and Boys Club, based at Barleylands Farm and Craft Village, in Billericay, by snapping wire fences.

Players arrived at the club on Thursday to discover the padlock to the container had been smashed off and the £500 generator had disappeared from inside.

The generator has been bought so hot drinks could be provided on-site.

Club treasurer Jenny Squibb is urging strangers to dig deep and do their bit to help.

She said: "We think the thieves just tried their luck and got lucky, they must have targeted the container and hoped for the best.

"We have a little cafe which a lady runs on a voluntary basis. At the moment she brings in flasks of hot water to make teas and coffees.

"The idea was to get that up-and-running so she could have a permanent place for her cafe and be able to make the drinks on site."

The non-profit club, which is a registered charity, managed to raise the money for the new generator from the subscriptions children pay to become a member.

Mrs Squibb added: "We are absolutely devastated. It's the children who are missing out at the end of the day because they are the ones who paid for it.

"We are trying to make it a better, family-orientated club and somewhere nice and welcoming for visitors.

"Then this happens.

"It's so frustrating because we did everything we could not to broadcast this about. We even had it delivered to a residential address.

"We would really welcome any donations if anyone would like to contribute towards a new generator."

Nothing else was stolen in the raid, which is believed to have taken place between Sunday, April 17 and Thursday, April 21.

The club was formed in 1963 and trains 150 members, aged between five and 20.

PC Marek Jaworski, based in Basildon, said: "The Basildon Girls and Boys Club, which is a registered charity, have just purchased a brand new generator to replace the old one which was not working properly.

"It was put inside a locked shipping container where they kept all the equipment.

"Sometime between April 17 and April 21, the padlock to the container was smashed off and the generator, which was at the back, was taken."

Anyone wanting to make a donation to the club can visit basildonboysandgirlsclub.co.uk.

People with information about the theft can call Essex Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.