Residents of Newmarket's Barlings Court left devastated after their donated communal television was stolen

Residents of Newmarket’s Barlings Court have been left devastated by the theft of a television set from their communal lounge.

The 48-inch Samsung set was a gift to the sheltered accommodation complex from town electrical specialist Hughes and had provided hours of entertainment for residents.

Lorraine Nee, whose 81-year-old father and sister, both have flats in the complex, said: “The television had been in place for nearly a year, but someone had just unscrewed it from the wall and taken it.

“It’s a despicable thing to do as everyone there had derived so much pleasure from it. The lounge is somewhere where they all love to get together and just recently my dad and some of the other old boys in there had loved watching the rugby world cup.

“It was a great thing for bringing the residents together, which is so important nowadays.”

She said Flagship, the housing association which runs the Fred Archer Way complex, had improved security there after it had been criticised last year over intruders getting in and out of the building during the evening and night.

“Whoever took the television should hang their head in shame because they have left a lot of people very upset,” said Mrs Nee.