THIEVES smashed their way into a lifeguard station on Weymouth beach to steal money from a charity collection box.

Lifeguards turned up for work during Weymouth Lifeboat Week to find their window smashed and around £40 had been taken from their donations box.

Jake Clifford, senior lifeguard, was the first to turn up for work and find smashed glass on the sand.

He said: “I arrived and put my bike at the side of the hut and then walked around to the front door to find the top part of the window had been smashed through.

“There was glass all over the sand.

“I was really unsure and surprised and when I opened the door the floor was covered in glass.”

Mr Clifford said the lifeguard radios and other equipment had not been stolen. But when one of his colleagues went to put their fundraising box on the beach they realised it had been emptied.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity and relies on donations to carry out its lifesaving work.

Mr Clifford said: “We don’t usually leave the money here but when we did I think someone spotted us taking it in. The RNLI is all charity based.

“It’s not nice thinking that people are stealing from an organisation that is trying to save lives.”

The lifeboat station is a storage container that acts as their base on the beach close to the former tourist information centre.

The metal shutters were also broken during the raid and the cost of repairs will be £200.

Justin White, RNLI lifeguard supervisor for Weymouth, said: “It’s really disheartening to think that someone would steal from a charity”.

He added: “It’s money the charity would much rather spend on training and equipping the lifeguards and volunteer lifeboat crews.”

This is the second time the RNLI has been the victim of crime this month.

Solar panels that provide the electricity to charge the lifeguard radios were stolen off the roof of the lifeguard unit in West Bay.

“It’s a really disappointing start to the season,” Mr White added.

A Dorset Police spokesman is appealing for anyone who witnessed the theft or has any information can call Dorset Police on 01305 222222.