A BUCKET of money for children with cancer donated by anglers in Dorchester has been stolen from a lake lodge.

Police are looking for two suspects after the charity bucket, clearly labelled “Children with Cancer”, was stolen at 7.50pm on Tuesday along with a till from the fishing lodge at Orchids Lake.

The donations, thought to be in the region of £300, were given during a 70th birthday celebration for prominent angler Ron Buss between July 31 and August 2.

The money was part of £3,000 raised by Anglers Against Cancer over the course of the three-day event.

Owner of Orchid Lakes and chairman of the charity Marsh Pratley said the incident was “beyond words”.

The 64-year-old said: “You can’t think of any words strong enough for the thing that these people did.”

During the burglary, the father-of-two was away attending a charity fundraiser for motor neurone disease.

In CCTV footage from a camera at the lake, two men are seen jogging away from the lodge with the cash register and the bucket of donated money.

Both men were wearing hoodies, one green and one grey. Police confirmed they were currently investigating the matter.

The owner added: “I’ve been running this lake for 20 years, and nothing like this has happened before.

“It’s a sign of the times really.”

Mr Buss, head bailiff for the Woking and District Angling Association, said: “Stealing money from a charity is really the lowest of the low.

“I have no regard for them whatsoever as we worked hard for this charity.”

Fishing enthusiast Sharon Scott travelled from Macclesfield and brought her 10-year-old daughter Emily Rose-Scott to the celebration.

The 45-year-old secretary’s daughter made sandwiches and anglers donated money to the cause.

The mother-of-two said: “I just don’t have the heart to tell her because she will be so upset.

“It’s an awful thing to have happened.”

On the same evening, two anglers, one of whom is disabled, had about £8,000 worth of equipment stolen from outside their tents while they were sleeping.

The incident is thought to have happened at about 2.30am.

Weston-super-Mare resident Andy Berry had £3,500 of rods, poles and other items stolen.

The 41-year-old, who spends seven weeks at Orchids Lake a year, said the whole experience had put him off angling in the future.

When asked of the other incident, he added: “It’s really sick because it’s children with cancer they’re stealing from.”

Fellow angler 64-year-old Brian Fereday had about £4,500 worth of equipment taken.

The former electronics engineer does not have the use of his legs after contracting meningitis when he was 18 months old.

The Wolverhampton resident said: “In some ways a lot of the gear is irreplaceable, I’ve been very glum thinking about it.

“But fellow anglers from Orchids Lake have donated equipment to me.”

Regarding the stolen bucket of money, he said: “It’s absolutely despicable, it goes without saying.

“What were they thinking?

“It just doesn’t bear thinking about.”

Police are appealing for information regarding the thefts, but have not confirmed whether the two are linked.