CALLOUS burglars have raided a charity headquarters in broad daylight and made off with more than £1,000 worth of equipment.

The headquarters of Age UK Darlington, Bradbury House on Beaumont Street West in Darlington, was targeted by burglars between 10am and 2.30pm on Saturday, October 10.

The café on the first floor was open for business, however someone took the opportunity to explore the ground floor and basement areas, before breaking into an office on the ground floor.

They then made off with four laptops and an iPad from the office and a VOIP phone they stole from the reception office.

In total the burglary will cost the charity in excess of £1,000 to replace the equipment and the laptops that were stolen were being used for teaching elderly service users.

Police are appealing for any witnesses who were in the café between these times who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously to get in touch with them.

Investigating officer PC Stewart Walker said: “I would expect there to be a number of shoppers in the area at this time and I’m particularly keen to trace two young men, aged 17 or 18-years-old who were in the area on their mountain bikes around 2pm.

“I’m keen for the property to be returned to the charity, the phone is coded specifically for use by Age UK and therefore of no practical value to anyone else.”

Age UK Darlington runs a number of initiatives from Bradbury House to benefit Darlington’s elderly residents.

Anyone with information about the burglary should contact Darlington police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.