THIEVES have stolen five laptops from a Swindon-based charity, which staff say will be a huge blow to the organisation.

The computer equipment, worth £6,000, was taken from BTCV offices, at Beaver House in Victoria Road.

Police say the crime is particularly shocking because it has stripped a charity of its resources.

Ben Rawlings, team leader for the conservation charity, said many of the computers had important work on them which has now been lost.

My Rawlings, 25, said: "It's a huge blow to us.

"We're a non-profit organisation and while we're covered by insurance it's a big inconvenience to everyone involved.

"One of the laptops was brand new as we have just taken on a new employee but the others had everyone's work on them.

"Some of that work was backed up but a lot of it is now lost forever.

"Our records have gone. I have lost pretty much all my work."

Laura Penn, who also works at the charity which runs Millennium Volunteers for 16-24-year-olds to get involved in conservation in Swindon, said it could not afford to lose its vital equipment.

She said: "We used them for everything.

"Our whole worklives revolved around using these computers.

"They're very important to the work we do. It has come as a real shock to us all.

"We don't know how they got in and there are blinds up so you can't see through the windows but they must have known what they were doing.

"We're a national charity and we do a lot of work with young people in Swindon and this is very annoying."

The five computers, which were taken on Saturday afternoon, were silver Dell PPO5L laptops.

Swindon police spokeswoman Alvina Kumar said: "While all crime is reprehensible this theft is particularly so.

"It has not only deprived a charitable organisation of valuable resources but has placed considerable financial burden on them."

Anyone with information should contact PC Norman Cross at Swindon Police on 01793 528 111 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Gareth Bethell