THIEVES broke into a children’s play centre, stealing charity money and trashing the premises.

Staff arrived at Westows Play and Football centre yesterday morning to find the indoor children’s play area had been raided overnight and a tap had been left running, flooding the canteen.

Charity boxes had been forced open, their office had been turned upside down and the burglars tried to drill into their safe.

Their failure to get into the safe has left staff fearing the burglars might return to the centre in School Road, Hove.

The burglary happened between 11.30pm on Sunday night and 8.30am yesterday morning.

Aidie Norman, centre manager, said: “They used some kind of heavy crowbar to bust the doors open.

“They knew what they were doing and they knew where our safe was. They came in with some kind of drill to break into it and raided all the charity boxes.

“They also left a tap running to flood the place and all our vending machines have been smashed. Everything that has a lock on it they tried to get into. It looks like their main target was the safe but they did not get in. It makes me believe they might be planning to come back again.”

The centre was closed yesterday morning while staff worked to repair the damage.

This is the second break-in at the centre in a matter of months, following a burglary in October.

Sussex Police said they were not currently linking the two incidents.

The Rockinghorse Appeal, Starlight and Safety Net charities were all hit by the raid. More than £100 of charity cash was stolen but the exact amount could not be given.

A spokeswoman for Safety Net said: “It is a real shame when the money was donated towards safeguarding children.”

CCTV footage captured one person wearing a light-coloured hooded coat, dark tracksuit trousers and white shoes but it does not show their face.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “The intruders had forced the front door and turned some taps on which have flooded the premises.

“A laptop worth £600 has been stolen along with cash from the vending machines and a charity collection point was vandalised. An attempt was made to break into the safe but this was unsuccessful.”

Anyone with information should call Sussex Police on 101 or email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk, quoting serial 194 of January 26.