A PUB landlord felt “sick” after a collection tin for The British Legion was stolen from the bar.

The collection tin, which the pub puts out every year for the Poppy Appeal, went missing on Tuesday (November 6) evening from the bar at The Chestnut Tree Inn, Lansdowne Road, Worcester.

The pub's landlord, Colin Robinson, nicknamed Mad Pierre, said it was: “bloody upsetting. Some people will stoop so low. I felt physically sick for the day.”

“There wasn’t a great deal of money in it, but it is the actual taking of it,” he said.

Staff realised the tin was gone just after lunch time the next day. The tin had been propped up on the poppy box.

However he said: “I think we will probably raise more money now.

"I’m sure there will be more people over the week buying poppies, or I will go and threaten them.”

The pub has now raised £250 for the Poppy Appeal after Mr Robinson posted about the theft on Facebook, an amount he says is more than four times what the pub normally raises for the Poppy Appeal.

Mr Robinson said he was sad that the theft had happened but pleased that so much has been raised.

This is not the first time the pub has had collection tins stolen.

Last year Mr Robinson hosted a Christmas Day lunch for the homeless and lonely.

That evening thieves broke into the pub and stole two collection boxes which contained around £20 each.

Despite the theft, Mr Robinson said last year that the Christmas bash “went really well, the atmosphere was just brilliant.

“Thanks to all the people who donated lots of money and food and slippers – I got 50 pairs of slippers from a guy in London who’s given up his stall.

“They [the thieves] didn’t do any damage, it was just annoying,” he told the Worcester News last year.

“There’s a lot of desperate people, especially at this time of year.”

Mr Robinson also hopes to raise money for the homeless this year as the pub has a history of successfully raising funds for homeless charities.

He said: “I always raise quite a lot for the homeless at Christmas, we send the collection tin around for about a month.”