- Two women were filmed 'colluding' to steal at Spar in Ludgershall, Wiltshire
- An accomplice appeared to distract staff as another woman stole a poppy tin
- A theft was also recorded five miles away at McColls in Andover, Hampshire
- A woman, dressed in black and wearing a headscarf, snatched the poppy tin
A woman wearing a headscarf was caught on video stealing a Poppy Appeal tin on Remembrance Sunday in Wiltshire - before a second tin was stolen by a similarly dressed woman from another shop a few miles away.
Police are investigating the first theft at a newsagent, which has been branded 'disgusting' and condemned by the British Legion, but it is not known if the two thefts are linked.
In CCTV video footage obtained by MailOnline of the second theft which occurred in Wiltshire, one woman pounces and takes the Royal British Legion fundraising jar while another woman distracts staff at the Spar store in Ludgershall.
In the first theft that occurred one hour beforehand and only five miles away, at McColls convenience store in Andover, Hampshire, an unidentified thief also in a headscarf calmly waits for her moment and then grabs the charity tin and escapes with it.
The women are still at large and a police investigation is underway to apprehend the offenders.
There may have been more thefts in the area that day, according to local reports.
The footage was posted on Facebook by members of staff and instantly went viral with thousands of people sharing video of the crimes.
The first theft occurred at 11.45am in McColls in Andover, Hampshire and the second theft was recorded just more than one hour later at 1pm in the Spar in Ludgershall, Wiltshire.
Spar manager Susan Connolly said: 'It's absolutely shocking that someone could do this.
'It's just completely disgusting to steal the Poppy Appeal tin on Remembrance Sunday.
'One distracted the girl behind the counter while the other just swept it under her dress. 'After I posted the video, it went mad, its had over 100,000 views.'
A spokesman for the Royal British Legion, Tristan Nichols, said: 'We are greatly disturbed to hear of the theft of poppy collecting tins.
'This loss will deprive those in the Service and ex-Service community and their families of much needed assistance and support from the Legion.'
Speaking after the incident at McColls store in Andover, Inspector Paul Markham, of Hampshire Police said: 'This is a disgraceful incident where, on Remembrance Sunday, a Poppy Appeal collection box has been stolen.
'This is extremely disrespectful to those who have given so much for our country. I would urge anyone with information to contact us as soon as possible to help us identify those responsible.'
The matter is currently under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to call Hampshire Constabulary on 101 quoting 44170440589.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said the force had not received a report in relation to the theft but they have tasked officers from the Community Policing Team to investigate the matter further.
They said that anyone with information on the theft at Spar in Ludgershall should call police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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