A THIEF who stole a charity teddy bear from a restaurant has been described as ‘the lowest of the low’.

The prize for a ‘Name the bear’ competition in aid of Christies Hospital, was taken from the front counter of Frankie and Bennys, Grimshaw Park, Blackburn.

Police have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to about the incident.

Branch manager Nick Sewell said staff had been left ‘angry and disappointed’ by the theft.

He said the cause was ‘close to his heart’ as his mother Mary was cared for at the Manchester-based specialist cancer hospital before her death.

Mr Sewell said the crime had brought fundraising to an abrupt end.

“We chose a charity every year and I was fully behind it because of my personal dealings with Christies.

“It is really annoying and very, very harsh that someone has done this. It’s a very low crime when the bear is clearly marked for charity.

“We’ve raised £200, but can’t raise any more because we have no prize."

A man suspected of carrying out the theft was in the restaurant eating with his family, including two young children aged around eight to 10 years old.

The incident happened around 4.30pm on Sunday, September 4.

Mr Newell added: “If he’s taken it for one of his children it would be a bit galling to receive a stolen charity prize as a gift.

“My staff put a lot of time and effort into raising money.”

Police want to trace the ‘heartless and callous thief’ and PC Gary Hennighan said: “This is a despicable crime akin to stealing directly from Christies, which does fantastic work in treating cancer sufferers in the north west - some of whom are from the local area.

“I am appealing for anyone who recognises the suspect to contact Lancashire Constabulary so we can deal with the culprit and send out a strong message that this will not be tolerated.”

Call 0845 1 253545 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.