A man has been caught on camera stealing a donations tin from a hospital cancer centre just days before Christmas.

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is contacting Humberside Police after the donations tin was stolen from the entrance to the Queen’s Centre at Castle Hill Hospital on Saturday.

Members of the public used the tin to donate funds for the Teenage and Young Adults’ Unit when they bought books from a stall in the main foyer of the Queen’s Centre.

Karen Fraser, Team Leader for the Oncology Health Centre and Patient Services, said: “It is awful that anyone could do such a thing at any time of the year, never mind at Christmas.

“We’ve alerted security and they’ll be passing on the CCTV footage to the police.”

Staff alerted senior managers today after realising the box, used to collect donations from members of the public who buy books from a stall in the main foyer, was missing.

Security staff trawled through hours of CCTV footage and spotted the man walking into the hospital on Saturday. Footage then shows him hiding the tin, which had been secured to a table, underneath his jacket.

Karen Fraser said: “Thankfully, the tin is emptied on a Friday so there wouldn’t have been as much in it.

“But we just don’t know how much has been taken because people who bought books on Saturday would have donated money.

“It’s just a sickening thing to happen.”