A VALLEYS landlady says she is disgusted at burglars who stole two charity boxes from her pub during an early morning raid yesterday.

Two burglars broke into The Bush Inn in High Street, Blaina, between 2.20am and 4.15am and took collection boxes for Hospice of the Valleys and Help for Heroes, which were chained to beer pumps on bar.

Landlady Jeanette Havard, 57, said that although the boxes only contained lose change, the principle of stealing money from charities which help ill and injured people had shocked her.

"It’s bad enough stealing from people but to take from charities is something else," she said.

Her husband David Havard, 61, who is the pub’s licensee, said: "It’s disgusting to think that someone could steal charity boxes.

"It’s lower than low."

The couple were alerted to the burglary when a cleaner called them after discovering the break-in at 7.15am.

The thieves had also taken around £200 in cash from the pub’s fruit machine, pool table and behind the bar, damaged both games machines and ripped the chains securing the charity boxes to the bar.

Mr Havard added: "We don’t know how much was in the boxes but people put in their spare change and it all adds up," he said.

The burglars entered the pub by removing a panel from the back door and climbing through the gap.

They were captured on CCTV and Gwent Police were studying the images yesterday.

The force said the thieves were dressed in dark clothing and one burglar had a white line down the side of their trousers.

Mr and Mrs Havard want to see the burglars brought to justice and are calling for anyone with information to contact Gwent Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.