The fundraising team at Mary Stevens Hospice are appealing for help after con men attempted to steal one of their blue donation boxes from a Black Country store.

One of the Stourbridge charities long term supporters contacted them after two men entered his shop, claiming to be from the Hospice, saying they were there to collect the donation tin.

Fortunately, the shop owner felt this was out of the ordinary and refused to hand over the tin without checking their claims first. The two men made their excuses and left the store. A spokesperson for Mary Stevens Hospice said:

"Our message is please be vigilant and if you ever have any sort of concerns or queries about a situation where someone is claiming to be a Hospice representative, we are always available to speak to. You can call direct on 01384 377 778 or 01384 443 010.

"Our supporter did the right thing in trusting his suspicions and the Police are now involved. However it is imperative that our community remains vigilant so people like this can't do the damage they inexplicably set out to - and your generosity and support goes to the families you intended it for."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the hospice directly or West Midlands Police on 101.