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Man arrested after pet crematorium burglary

Darren Bates and Wendy Stone in front of dog portraits
Image caption,

Darren Bates and Wendy Stone said they were "devastated' when their business was targeted

  • Published

A man has been arrested after more than £1,000 of charitable funds were stolen from a pet crematorium.

Staff at Roxy's Rainbows Pet Cremation were left devastated when the money was taken from the Hartlepool business, during a break-in on Sunday.

Owner Darren Bates said it included donations to Roxy's Pot of Gold, a collection used to help customers who cannot afford to give their pets "the send off they deserve".

A 38-year-old man was taken into police custody after being arrested on suspicion of burglary.

After the break-in, staff thanked the community for rallying around after hundreds of pounds was raised by well-wishers in the aftermath.

It is believed some £1,600 was taken from the business.

Cleveland Police has previously said the theft was not believed to be connected to a spate of others targeting businesses in the Hartlepool area.

Then, they issued a warning to owners to remove any cash from their premises after a number of takeaways and hot food establishments were targeted over the bank holiday weekend.

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