Police are hunting a heartless thief who was caught on CCTV stealing a 'postbox to heaven' from a funeral directors. <br /><br />The lowlife crook struck at Hughes Funeral Directors in Cannock, Staffs., who set up the postbox so grieving people could write to deceased loved ones.<br /><br />Owner Kim Hughes, 38, was left ‘mortified’ when she watched back the footage and saw the hooded man walking off with the box filled with letters to dead relatives. <br /><br />CCTV cameras at the family-run business captured the offender pulling up at 9am on Sunday (12/3) in a silver van before snatching the heavy item. <br /><br />Kim shared video of the callous theft on Facebook, which has since prompted widespread condemnation from angry members of the public.<br /><br />Mum-of-two Kim said: "Your heart sinks, we were absolutely mortified.<br /><br />“All he’d probably get opening that was a picture some children drew for their grandad.<br /><br />“It was clearly premeditated. He pulled up with his hood already up. The door swung over and the van reversed back. <br /><br />"He ran, scooped up the postbox and ran back to the van. <br /><br />“It's gutting, because we were just trying to do something nice."<br /><br />The postbox, which was only installed in December, allows families to send letters to their lost loved-ones and is usually kept inside the office. <br /><br />The decision was made to have the box installed outside to give grieving families the chance to send letters even when the office was closed. <br /><br />Kim added: "It's normally in our office but with Mother's Day coming up we decided to put it outside. <br /><br />“Where it was located, we thought it was perfectly fine. To watch them take it was mortifying. <br /><br />“We purchased it out of our own money and it was meant to be a continued support for families. <br /><br />“If he had come to me asking for some money to buy his own postbox I would’ve thought about giving him some. <br /><br />“I don’t want revenge, I just want the box back for our families. I'd rather him steal our phones. <br /><br />“One woman said it was a really good idea as she found her daughter's letters to her grandad under her bed now she had somewhere to send them. <br /><br />“If he could just do the right thing now, bring it back and admit he took it, we can just move on." <br /><br />Kim says her postbox was not linked to similar ones being installed at crematoriums following the idea of nine-year-old Matilda Handy.<br /><br />Matilda hit the headlines with her heartwarming suggestion they would be a way to send her late gran and granddad cards and letters in heaven. <br /><br />Kim added: "We had the idea and then saw that a crematorium had done the same thing but it was quite far away. <br /><br />"I said it’s going to look like we copied them. As far as I'm aware, we’re the only funeral directors with a postbox to heaven. <br /><br />"We have had a family saying they will buy a new one for us. We contacted police who suggested social media might help with the appeal. <br /> <br />“I'm praying, probably naively, that this one will turn up purely because it has some letters in it. <br /><br />“There's still some nice people out there though. We will replace it either way."
