BURGLARS who stole two charity boxes from a pub have been branded "disgusting" by the landlady.

Thieves raided The Belle Vue Inn in Tredegar during the early hours of Saturday morning, taking more than £100 from charity boxes for the Ty Hafan Hospice Appeal and Strongbow Appeal for children suffering from arthritis.

They also stole money from some other tins and a gold watch belonging to the landlady Debbie Parry.

The burglary capped an awful night for Bryn and Debbie Parry who run the pub together. Mr Parry was beaten up and robbed of his £900 gold necklace earlier that night after trying to throw somebody involved in a fight out of a pub.

He sustained a broken nose, several bumps on his head, as well as cuts and bruises, when seven people set on him in a vicious attack outside his pub.

After spending most of the night in the casualty ward of the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, the couple eventually went to bed at 4am. Between then and just after 6am - when Mrs Parry got up - the pub was burgled.

"I've been in the pub business almost 15 years," said Mrs Parry, "and this is the worst night I've ever had.

"For my husband to get beaten up and then be burgled is awful. These burglars took a lot of charity money and I think it is disgusting.

"If they had taken my whisky and vodka then fair enough but to take money away from children's charities is terrible.

"They stole my gold watch but it's the charity money that has upset me most of all."

She added: "People have given from the goodness of their hearts to these appeals and then thieves do this."

Sergeant Ashley Jones, of Tredegar Police station, said: "This is a despicable crime because the money was for charity.

"It is very unpleasant and anyone with information about the burglary or the assault earlier that night is urged to call Tredegar police station on 01495 723162."