THE boss of a Blackburn martial arts club has branded thieves who broke in and stole from a children’s Christmas party fund “scum”.

Carol Smith, of the Nippon Dai Martial Arts Academy, said the theft will also mean they will struggle to pay this month’s rent.

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Mrs Smith, whose husband Professor Tony Smith is chief instructor at the centre, said it was the second time thieves have targeted the premises in three weeks.

Mrs Smith, 62, said: “We work so hard to put something into the community and they just walk in and take it away. I think they’re scum. They targeted something that’s good in life and is for the local community.

“Everybody is really upset. We have children from all ethnicities at the centre. It is helping to forge links in the different communities and to be targeted in this way makes me so mad.

“My husband has been coaching for 35 years. It’s his life work. We have put £17,000 of our own money into the centre in the last 10 years. But we can’t afford to do it anymore. We will have to step up our fundraising efforts. But we won’t close. We won’t let them win.”

Mrs Smith said the centre in Byrom Street, which is the headquarters club for the Nippon Dai Budo Kai Governing Body, has helped thousands of children.

Since the burglary, which took place between noon on Saturday and 6.30pm on Monday, security has been bolstered and money is no longer kept on the site.

It is thought burglars scaled a wall at the back of the premises before using tools to prise open wire meshing and used breeze blocks to smash a ground floor window.

Once inside, they forced open a till which was empty, stole around £380 from under the counter and then took a money box containing £300 for a children’s Christmas party from a shelf above the tuck shop.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information call police on 101, quoting ED1513675.

Or, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.