Legion anger at poppy box thefts

The boxes were stolen from various business in Llandudno

Seven Remembrance Day charity collection boxes have been stolen from premises in a town centre.

The poppy boxes were among about 250 distributed in and around Llandudno, Conwy county, by the Royal British Legion.

Legion officials said they did not discover that some of the boxes had been stolen until they were collected following Remembrance Sunday.

North Wales Police confirmed they were investigating the thefts.

Llandudno town councillor, Billy Evans, who has been local president of the legion for 22 years, described the thefts as "terrible".

Everyone at the legion is horrified, and in shock Billy Evans, Royal British Legion

"All the money raised through the poppy boxes goes on welfare, and for dependents [of those who have been killed]," said Mr Evans.

"With what's going on in the world today - this is too much. No-one can say they don't realise where the money goes any more," he said.

Mr Evans said all but one of the seven locations targeted were fairly close together in the town centre.

"I'm not blaming the places where the boxes were at all, they are very upset," said Mr Evans.

The boxes were taken from the Yorkshire Building Society, Thomas Cook, the town hall, Mostyn Surgery, Nat West Bank, Barclays Bank, and Venue Cymru.

Last year the collection boxes raised just under £15,000 in the Llandudno area, and Mr Evans said that despite the setback, he was hopeful for a similar figure this year.

He said events in Afghanistan had brought home to people what the armed forces faced, and more people than ever had turned up at the cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

"This is just so maddening. Everyone at the legion is horrified, and in shock," he said.