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Burglars have ransacked a community art shop and escaped with a stash of goods - including a block of blue cheese.

Printers, old computer towers, metal letters and kitchen equipment are among the items which were also pinched during the overnight raid at Art Stop Stoke.

The raiders struck at the Church Street shop, in Stoke, at 3am yesterday.

Now kind-hearted donors have come together to support the community art venture following the burglary.

Project manager Sarah Bonam, aged 49, said: "Security footage shows about four people in the workshop for around three hours as they were taking things away and then coming back for more.

"They have taken all of the heaters so we haven't been able to hold workshops today, all of the extension leads, the phone and modem, two bottles of wine, some printing letters, and the cheese out of the fridge.

"It has annoyed us more than anything and when we went to make the police forensics a cup of tea we found that had been stolen along with the blue cheese.

"It has been tough and is obviously a cost but people have been really generous and offering to help out. We even had to host a workshop at the nearby Wetherspoon pub."

A number of old projectors and printers stolen in the burglary have since been found in nearby streets.

Lead artist Anne Kinnaird, aged 58, added: "We are only a community project and it was a bit of a shock. The thieves obviously thought they would find something to take. They took an overhead projector but we have already found that."

Staffordshire Police are reviewing the security footage and appealing for witnesses. They were alerted to the burglary at 9.30am yesterday.

A police spokesman said: "Overnight unknown offenders forced the front door open to gain entry and made an untidy search. Four heaters were stolen among other items."

Anyone with any information about the break-in should call Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 150 of March 15, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.