A NIGHT-TIME intruder has been caught on camera emptying the contents of seven charity tins at a Hampshire garden centre.

The previous night the same man had broken into Allington Nurseries in Allington Lane, Fair Oak, with an accomplice.

The charity collection tin thefts are the third break-in in just ten days at the premises.

On two previous occasions £600 worth of fireworks and three dummy fireworks were stolen.

During the latest burglary the hoodie wearing thief spent more than 20 minutes helping himself to handfuls of change, destined for charities including the Poppy Appeal and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Garden centre boss Stephen Goodridge, 50, said: "It looked as if he had done it before because he knew how to take the boxes apart.

"After filling his pockets he put the boxes together again and put them back on the counter. He was a very tidy burglar. People usually put one, two or five pences into the charity boxes so there would have been between £10 and £15 in each one.

"For the Poppy Appeal it is sometimes one or two pound coins so there could have been a lot more in those."

The other stolen charity collection tins were for the PDSA, Great Ormond Street for Children, Save the Tigers and Dr Barnardos.

Altogether an estimated £115 was taken.

The CCTV footage is to be handed to police.