A charity is asking the public to be on the alert after thieves stole seven pans of frozen food for the homeless and hungry in broad daylight.

The trays of food, along with a jacket, were taken from the back of a white Daily Bread van at about 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday outside Paraquet Restaurant, South Road, Paget.

Margaret Ward, executive coordinator of the scheme, said the Police had yet to find the culprits, who seized the food after volunteer driver James King stopped at the Paraquet for lunch.

"If anybody saw somebody taking stuff, we'd urge them to call the Police," she said. "We just hope somebody saw it. They must have had to act very quickly and someone had to have seen them."

She said Daily Bread volunteers always wore a hat or shirt with the charity's logo. "We'd ask people, if they see anybody not wearing that and carrying food from one of our vans, to question them."

The food stolen last week — including enough roast beef and turkey, kebabs, macaroni and cheese and vegetables for 140 people — was intended for a feeding programme run by Bright Temple Church in Warwick. It was donated by two companies at the Rugby Classic.

"It's very sad," said Ms Ward. "The fact that they would take all this food means that this feeding centre has no food for next week."

Businesses with food to donate to the Daily Bread scheme should call the M3 breadline on 333-4483.