A BREAK-IN at a Darfield Museum run solely by volunteers has left the building with more than £1,000 of damage.

The Maurice Dobson Museum and Heritage Centre on Vicar Road was broken in to at the weekend where thieves stole a box containing a number of old fashioned tools.

CCTV cameras were destroyed, some iron bars outside of the museum were sawed through and some doors inside the former house were also damaged.

“We had a couple of break-ins last year but they didn’t get into the house itself, just the store room, but a few things were stolen then,” explained one of the volunteers at the museum, Mary Bradberry.

“On Saturday night or early Sunday they got into the museum, they’ve sawed through iron bars and that’s how they got into the cellar. They damaged a door and ended up in the shop of the museum.

“They went into the back yard and stole a box that was full of old metal tools.

“Damage done is over £1,000-worth, it’s a voluntary organisation that is staffed solely by volunteers so it’s going to cost us - it’s the CCTV that’s going to cost us the most.

“We think that whoever it was was disturbed by the landlord and a friend who were at the pub across the street when they saw the security lights going off, so they went across to have a look.

“It’s quite heartbreaking, the museum is such a happy place to be and is used a lot by the community.

A spokesman for the police said: “On Monday, May 20, officers in Barnsley received a report of a break in at the Maurice Dobson Museum and Heritage Centre which is thought to have taken place between 4pm on Saturday May 18 and 9.30am on Sunday May 19.

“During the break in a box containing a number of old fashioned tools were stolen.

“Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting crime reference number 14/78691/19.”