‘Scrooge’ steals Christmas gift left for refuse collectors by animal rehoming charity | News

An animal shelter charity that left a tub of chocolates with its rubbish bin to thank rubbish collectors for picking up their rubbish no matter the weather, has shown her sadness after the celebrations were taken over by a passer-by before the rubbish truck arrived.

The Berwick Animal Rescue Kennels unveiled the Scrooge-like ‘gentleman’ who was posted at his base in Ramparts Business Park around 12.40pm today (Thursday).

But with it finally being the season of goodwill, it has stopped sharing images of the incident online – and instead vowed to thank Northumberland County Council staff when they return in the New Year.

A spokesman for the charity wrote on BARK’s Facebook page: “A huge thank you to the bin men who collect the bins in the kennels no matter the weather. They always go that little bit further to help us and even make sure we know that they are supposed to pick up trash cans if we forget!

“Unfortunately today we issued a small token of our appreciation (they’re busy, we never know when they’re coming). We put a label on the bag saying this isn’t trash and put a label on the celebration tub of candy to thank them for all their help.

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“At 12.39pm a ‘gentleman’ who came from inside the property came by and examined the bag for a while and then walked away with it.

“To this gentleman, we will not release any photos or video footage from our CCTV. We’re sorry you’re having trouble this Christmas; we’re sorry you felt the need to take them, but we hope you enjoy them.

“Unfortunately the bin men from Northumberland County Council will have to wait until the New Year for our thank you.”

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Locals were quick to condemn the behavior. Responding to the post, one said: “This is absolutely shocking.” Another added: “No matter how poor, desperate or hungry you are, stealing is stealing. It is wrong! I hope you get indigestion!”

Last month we revealed that BARK is behind a new feed bank in Spittal – dedicated to pets. It was launched out of concern that the cost of living crisis is leaving some owners unable to feed their furry friends.

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The statement added: “If you need help there are plenty of places to ask – we have the Berwick Food Bank and, if you have an animal, we also have our own BARK pet food bank. Or contact the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, which has access to a wealth of different areas of support.”

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