This is the sickening moment a woman appears to snatch two charity collection boxes from the counter of a village shop.

CCTV captured the alleged thief helping herself to the two tins that were by the till at Tollerton Stores in Tollerton, North Yorkshire.

Police are now investigating after the footage shows the woman milling around in the award-winning store on Saturday, May 30.

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CCTV footage shows the woman enter Tollerton Stores in Tollerton, North Yorkshire at the end of last month

A red charity collection tin and one that has the popular children's character Sooty on top of it, can clearly be seen, nestling beside an electronic till.

The woman, clad in a grey cardigan, patterned top and her dark hair tied up in a bun, comes up into the shot and brazenly snatches the Sooty box before disappearing with it.

Moments later, the same woman sidles up to the till and then grabs the red box from behind her before, again, moving out of shot with it.

The shop's owner, Phil Lancaster, said the boxes were stolen when staff were distracted and their views blocked after a family of four had come into the shop who were not regular customers.

The woman, wearing a grey cardigan, then appears to help herself to two charity tins stationed next to the till

The first box she appears to take features children's TV character Sooty, with the box collecting money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People

The alleged thief also appears to take a second red collection box, which was raising money for a nearby care home

He said the Sooty box was collecting money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the other was raising money for the Cheshire Home at nearby Alne.

He said: 'They were pretty full of pennies and 10 pence pieces so I reckon they must have had £30 or £40 in them.'

It was only later that staff realised the boxes had gone and he had been able to go back through the footage and discover the incriminating material.

Police say they are now investigating the thefts from Tollerton Stores, pictured, which happened when staff became distracted from the till

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said: 'Police are investigating after two charity boxes were stolen from the Village Store in Tollerton.

'It is believed that the boxes were taken from the counter of the shop on Saturday 30 May.'