A charity has been left reeling after thieves stole their entire backyard.
Stunned staff arrived for work to find yobs had ripped up flagstones from the back of the St Catherine's Hospice shop in Lostock Hall - and had even left some propped up against a wall ready for a return raid.
The late-night thieves, who smashed a lock on a wrought iron gate to get in, were today branded "despicable" by police.
The shop sells clothing and bric a brac to raise vital funds for the hospice and volunteers often use the yard to sort out goods.
But they say the missing slabs - worth up to £60 a square yard - have left the yard looking like a mudbath.
Maureen Nickson, of St. Catherine's Hospice Trading, said: "Time is very precious to our patients and our volunteers give up their own time to work here.
"They should be able to work in safety but the yard is just a mudbath now.
"It is just callous.
"We have obviously been targeted because the thieves would have needed proper tools to break the lock on the wrought iron gate and a vehicle to get the flags away.
"We think they may have been disturbed as they had left another stack of flags as if they were going to come back.
"We would also warn other shop owners in the area to be vigilant and appeal to anyone who knows anything about the theft to call the police."
The attack happened overnight on Thursday.
Det Sgt John Cass, of South Ribble CID, said: "Any crime against a charity is particularly despicable.
"The Hospice relies on volunteers and funding to run the hospice which provides care for patients' and their families.
"Some of that money is now going to have to be spent on new flags and effectively diverted away from that care.
"We know stolen paving slabs are generally taken to places like reclamation yards and sold on and so we would urge reclamation yards or anyone offered paving slabs to alert us."
It is not the first time criminals have preyed on the hospice.
In June 2007 a thief stole the proceeds of a flower stall at the hospice's annual Yellow Day.
And in September 2006 thieves stole 50 bags of clothes from the St Catherine's Hospice charity shop on Hough Lane, Leyland.
Anyone with information should call police on 0845 1 253545 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
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