VOLUNTEERS at Aldbourne Sports and Social Club are counting the cost of a burglary which left it more than £1,000 down.

The club, which is tucked behind the memorial hall in Oxford Street, was ransacked overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday last week.

Wiltshire Police were alerted to the incident by the club’s safe, which was found empty and abandoned two miles away in Baydon.

Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

An enclosed invoice led the officers to the club, where they found the phone line had been cut, the alarm burnt out and the interior ransacked.

Manager Sharon Powell has spoke of her concern for the future of the club.

“This happened before three years ago,” she said.

“It was very similar, but this time was more professional.

“It’s just soul destroying. We are trying to keep our heads above water anyway. It’s an old-school club, not like it used to be. This has set us back again.”

Sharon expects the losses will shave a year off the club’s life expectancy, with a potential closure in the next four years.

“People just aren’t coming up enough. It’s an old school place.

“It used to be big families coming up, but now it’s posh Londoners coming and going for the weekend and using posh pubs like The Crown,” she said.

Matt Gibbs, 23, an Asda delivery driver, who lives in Farm Lane in Aldbourne, is one of the volunteer committee members who keep the club running.

He was one of those called on Wednesday morning after police located the safe, which had been bolted to the floor in the club.

Added to the cost and time of putting the other damage right, there has been the short-term loss of Sky Sports television for members, the damaged swipe card entry system and broken lottery ticket machine.

“That money’s extremely important because we’ve all got to work very hard for the business now,” said Matt.

“There are two other pubs in the village as well, which we have to compete with. That money is vital when things are tight.

“The alarm box has to be sorted and that has taken a couple of days with committee members being here non-stop. We all have our full-time jobs too.

“There have been so many phone calls to be made.

“That’s been the most disappointing thing – putting the damage right has taken a lot of time and effort.

“It’s not nice, especially when you have a lot of people who work very hard to try and make it work and make it profitable.”

Matt said there had been burglaries from similar premises in Hungerford and Marlborough recently.

Witnesses can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.