THIEVES stole a Poppy Appeal tin from pensioners even though they had chained and padlocked it to a bookshelf.

People living at Lady Eleanor Court sheltered housing in Abingdon were shocked to discover their tin had been stolen for the second year running yesterday morning.

They had been dropping money into the tin for the Royal British Legion appeal for the last two weeks and appeal co-ordinator Mary Cadogan said it could have contained £150.

Last night Miss Cadogan said: “It’s absolutely shocking.

“There are no words to describe how angry and upset I am.”

Following the theft of the tin last year, the warden at the retirement village in Drayton Road chained and padlocked the collection tin to a bookshelf in the foyer.

Miss Cadogan, who was inspired to raise money for the Poppy Appeal after her grandfather survived working on the notorious Burma Railway, added: “There is a secure entry door and when you get into the foyer the collecting tin was chained and nailed to a bookcase and padlocked and they have ripped it off.

“The door is quite slow to open so someone must have tail gated in. They must have known it was there. I would never know where it was unless someone had showed me.”

Miss Cadogan said it was impossible to tell how much money was in the tin, although she estimated it would have been about £150.

Some collection tins can hold up to £400.

She added: “The tin was really quite heavy and quite full.”

Police spokesman Rebecca Webber said last night: “This crime was reported to us at 9.43am this morning and has been logged on our crime recording system as a theft.

“It will be assigned to an officer in due course to investigate further.”

Helen Orford, regional manager at Anchor, which manages the 70 retirement flats, said: “We are all deeply upset by the incident at Lady Eleanor Court.

“It is disappointing that these actions can taint such an important day and cause.”

“There will be a full review of our options ahead of next year’s appeal,” she added.

Anyone with information about the theft should call police on 08458 505505 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.