Burgled Sunderland church 'overwhelmed' as public donate hundreds of Easter eggs to replace stolen ones

Church windows were smashed in the break-in at Bethany City Church in Burdon Road on Saturday and up to 100 chocolate eggs which had been donated by members of the congregation were taken, along with a TV.

But after the theft, donations flooded in and within hours the church had received around three times as many eggs as were taken in the raid.

Paster Daniel Alcock, 25, has been amazed by the reaction from the wider community: "We have probably got three times the number of eggs that were stolen come in over the weekend and we are expecting to be inundated again today,” he said.

“I have no doubt more eggs are coming.”

The church will be working with Together for Children and other organisations across the city to ensure the eggs go to good homes.

"We want to send particular thanks to the many children that decided to sacrifice one of their many eggs for someone with none and to those who aren’t known or connected to our church but saw our plight and responded,” said Daniel.

"Local businesses Northview Service Station and Lickety Split at Seaham have been very kind in contributions. We have had Bowen Electricals come down with a new TV and we have had over £100 donated to the church’s bank account.”

Daniel was amazed to see the thieves were caught on CCTV footage stealing trays of chocolate eggs before returning for the TV.otage.

"The four of them went for the eggs first.”

Northumbria Police have confirmed they were called to reports of suspicious activity in the Mowbray Road area in Sunderland at 06.41 am on Saturday morning (April 3).

Officers attended the scene and enquires are ongoing.

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on SAFC and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.