Animal charity boss blasts ‘scum’ raiders

Rod Smith, chairman and founder of Animal Rescue Oldham, inspects the damage

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AN animal sanctuary boss has slammed the “scum” who broke into the charity’s shop and did hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

It’s believed five intruders smashed their way into Animal Rescue Oldham’s recently-opened Union Street shop at around 10.15pm on Monday, smashing a wardrobe and attempting to break through a wall before running off when alarms rang.

Rod Smith, chairman and founder of Animal Rescue Oldham, says the raid is a slap in the face for volunteers who work hard to keep money coming in to care for homeless animals.

“We’ve only been in our new shop a few weeks and we were just starting to do well,” said Rod.

“The door has cost £400 to replace - but thankfully our landlord has sorted that out for us, and we had to close while the police carried out their investigations.

“No one in the charity is paid a wage, no one claims expenses or even bus fare; every penny goes on the animals. Why would anyone do that to an animal charity? They’re just scum.”

If you have any information about the incident, call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555 111.