A FREE Christmas Day lunch for the homeless and lonely at a city pub was spoiled when thieves broke in later that night and stole two charity boxes.

Landlord Colin Robinson, nicknamed Mad Pierre, held the festive bash at The Chestnut Inn on Lansdowne Crescent, Worcester, welcoming more than 50 people and raising over £750 for five charities.

“It all went really well, the atmosphere was just brilliant,” said Mr Robinson, referring to the party, but said the break-in, which also saw a tablet and mobile phone taken, was frustrating.

“They [the thieves] didn’t do any damage, it was just annoying,” he said. “There’s a lot of desperate people, especially at this time of year.”

He said sometime after he went to bed on Monday night the intruders “got in through the front window where we had a wire to our laser lights”.

“They took the barman’s phone and tablet and a bottle of malt whiskey from the charity raffle.”

The two charity boxes contained around £20 each – “you’re not talking great value”, said Mr Robinson.

“They tried to nick fudge out of the freezer and some steaks. They might’ve been spooked because we had four people staying that night.”

Mr Robinson planned to report the incident to police yesterday (December 27), admitting he and his staff “didn’t notice anything was wrong for half the day”.

“It looked like a bomb had hit it anyway, but when we started clearing up, the barman wanted his tablet but it had gone,” he said. “Then we started to put things together.”

Mr Robinson estimated the value of the thefts was around £200.

Regarding the Christmas Day lunch, he said: “Thanks to all the people who donated lots of money and food and slippers – I got 50 pairs of slippers from a guy in London who’s given up his stall.

“I was giving away slippers like there was no tomorrow,” he added.

10 to 15 volunteers began working from December 22 to prepare everything for the big day, with five courses served – Mr Robinson himself spent most of the day in the kitchen.

“I think I got through 180 pigs in blankets; I make them myself. They went berserk for them,” he said.

Of the money raised by the pub, any excess will be split between the Midlands Air Ambulance, The Tommy Atkins Centre, St Richard’s Hospice, St Paul’s Hostel and Maggs Day Centre.

Staff at Bluebell Farm pub, on Horn Hill Road, were also busy on Christmas Day making free takeaway lunches for on duty West Midlands Ambulance Service crews.

Paramedic Mark Dudfield tweeted a photo of his dinner, adding: “Ambulance crews never expect or ask for such offerings or reward but it is so nice when it happens.”