A thief is being hunted after he walked into a Prestwich post office and stole a charity collection box.

The man targeted Holyrood sub post office in Bury Old Road, and snatched the Marie Curie Cancer Care box at 1pm on Tuesday, March 25.

Sub-postmaster Oni Bharmal was left shocked by the theft. He said: “It is upsetting. If someone were to come in and steal my money, it would be terrible, of course, but that money can always be replaced by insurance money and only I would lose out.

“But when the money that has been stolen belongs to a charity, it cannot be replaced and it is tremendously sad.

“As soon as I saw it wasn’t there, I looked on our CCTV cameras and was able to go through it and find out when it happened.

“The man was acting suspiciously and then just walked out with it.”

The offender was described as aged 30 to 35, slim, with short, collar-length hair.

He was wearing a black, casual jacket, blue jeans and black trainers.

A Prestwich police spokesman said: “We are looking at the footage and carrying out inquiries to catch the person responsible.

“We would urge anyone with information to get in touch with us via 101.”

A Marie Curie spokesman said: “We rely on the generosity of members of the public to help us continue our vital work.

“All the money donated enables us to continue to provide more free care to those living with terminal illnesses and their families in their own homes or in one of our nine hospices.”