Police are appealing for information after a shop in Carmarthen was burgled - despite the fact that it gives away most of its stock for free.
Free Books Carmarthen is an enterprise that offers people the chance to donate books that would otherwise end up in the bin.
The store has been running since 2011 and, despite struggles to stay afloat and a move to a different premises, it continues to be run entirely by volunteers.
Anyone can walk into the book shop and take books, for free. People can leave a donation at the store in exchange for any books they take, but there is no compulsory charge.
The enterprise survives on selling donated stock - clothes, DVDs, blu-rays, games - that fund the running of the shop.
Last Friday, the store was ransacked by someone who smashed the door open and helped himself to stock from the ground floor, an act that has left staff “heartbroken”.
“The shop was closed over the Easter holidays,” explained Liz Gilligan, who set up Free Books Carmarthen eight years ago.
“The people who work here are all volunteers, so we wanted to give everyone some time off over Easter. When the staff came back in on Tuesday, it was obvious what had happened.
“I checked the security cameras and a man kicked the door in on the evening of Good Friday and helped himself.
“He then came back again over the weekend.”
There are security cameras placed outside and inside the entrance to Free Books Carmarthen, and signs that warn potential thieves that they are being watched.
However, the charity book shop cannot afford a burglar alarm, so the person responsible was able to take his time and wade through the store.
Thankfully, donated cash is never kept on the premises, a decision Liz said was based on concerns over security.
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“We’ve looked at the CCTV in the store and it looks like the man went through every inch of it looking for money, but there was none here," she said.
“Instead, he took quite a few bags of goods, like DVDs and clothes. Those are exactly the items that allow us to stay open. 90% of our stock is free to take, but the money we generate from the sale of cheap items is the only thing that keeps the project going.
“We don’t get any help, any subsidies or grants - it’s all down to the kind donations we receive and the sale of those items.”
Police are now investigating the incident and are appealing for any information that could assist them with their enquiries.
A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “We received a report on Tuesday, April 23, that a burglary had occurred at Carmarthen Free Books in Woods Row, Carmarthen over the Easter weekend.
“It is believed that the premises was entered late on Friday, April 19, and on Saturday evening, April 20.”
While police focus on finding the perpetrator, the people who run Carmarthen Free Books are trying to pick up the pieces.
Owner Liz, who is in the process of ordering a new front door for the shop, said: “We’ve all worked so hard here and now we’re just walking around worried and thinking - what else is missing?
“It’s heartbreaking.”
Anyone with any information about the burglary is asked to contact Carmarthen police by calling 101.
