A DOG charity has been left to pick up the pieces after its seventh break-in this year.

Sibes and Sled Dogs Husky Welfare course in Greenfield Road on the Colne-Barrowford border, discovered £40 bags of dog food, worth £450 were stolen on Saturday.

The charity’s owner, Christine Duxbury, said the dog food was a large donation given to the group by Pets at Home.

Ms Duxbury discovered the locks had been broken on the metal container that held the dog food and the contents taken.

The site has been targeted by thieves on several occasions, with thousands of pounds of grooming equipment stolen from the site several months ago.

The dog rescue deals primarily with Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes and other associated breeds.

Ms Duxbury said she couldn't believe they had been targeted again.

She said: "It's soul destroying, it's almost becoming a weekly occurrence now.

"It's the seventh time this year we have been hit and had things taken.

"The dog food definitely means a lot more to us than it would a thief, we don't understand it.

"The food was a very generous donation given to us by Pets At Home to help with our charity, we rely on donations like this.

"We are back to square one now, we will have to use our limited money to replace this now.

"If it keeps going like this and we get more break ins, it would seriously affect the longevity of the charity and its ability to keep going."

The site was opened in 2015 but its founder, Christine's husband, John Dixbury, 55, lost his life to a suspected heart attack a week before he got a chance to see his dream take shape.

At the time John had worked on the site to develop a dog sled track with fellow enthusiasts Daniel Jackson and Alan Cooney, developing an abandoned former nature reserve into a one-and-a-half kilometre trail, where rigs can reach speeds of up to 25 to 30mph.

A police spokesman said: "Officers were called at around 12.30pm to reports of a burglary in Greenfield Road.

"Sometime between Wednesday April 18 and Saturday, April 23 metal containers holding a supply of dog food had been broken into.

"There was a large amount of dog food stolen, worth around £450.

"Anyone with information is urged to contact the police and call 101, quoting crime number EG 1803225."