HUNDREDS of pounds have been stolen from a Christmas fund being stored at Penlee Lifeboat Station in Newlyn.
The theft of £370 has been slammed by lifeboat crews and police.
The money had been saved up for a crew member as a Christmas fund based on the number of shouts and exercises he had taken part in over the past year.
Patrick Harvey, coxswain of the lifeboat, said: "This guy has made nearly 30 shouts for the year. That money was set aside for Christmas and it has gone.
"We are all absolutely gobsmacked that this could happen and that someone could do that. At this time of year, that was money that would have been set aside for the children's Christmas presents."
Pc Walton, of Penzance Police, said: "These guys are still going out, putting their lives at risk when people are tucking into their Christmas dinners, and somebody has come in and taken £370 from them."
He is calling for anyone who knows anything about the crime to get in touch. Contact Penzance police on 08452 777444 quoting reference AP103343.
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