A charity box for the Brighton lifeboat shop has been broken into and emptied twice in a week.
The RNLI said: “Volunteer lifeboat crew members from RNLI Brighton Lifeboat Station were shocked to discover their charitable collection box had been broken into and emptied twice.
“The RNLI is a charity which exists to save lives at sea and has lifeboats at 238 stations around the UK and Ireland – all of which are crewed by highly trained volunteers.
“As a charity, donations from the public are essential to ensuring the RNLI can carry on its lifesaving work.
“Brighton lifeboat crew launched 35 times last year and helped 16 people.
“The crew, who volunteer their time to help save others, are sorely disappointed about the theft of the donated money, all of which could have helped fund vital training or equipment.”
They said: “The money in that collection box was generously donated by members of the public who have chosen to support the work we do.
“Our volunteers work very hard to keep launching to rescue those who need us. This just makes it harder.”
The charity said: “As the money is donated voluntarily, it is difficult to give an accurate estimate of how much donated money has been stolen.
“The box will now be removed and replaced with a contactless donation machine in the window of the shop.”
The Brighton lifeboat station has also set up a fundraiser page for those who prefer to give online. To make a donation, click here.
The RNLI is looking for more volunteer crew members in Brighton. To find out more, click here.
