A greedy thief shamelessly stole from a small family-run cake shed before 'laughing' it off with a middle finger to the security camera.

A boy was caught helping himself to treats from a 24-hour cake shed by Mum Made Meals in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in the early hours of Monday morning.

The shocking CCTV footage shows he had brought a bag with him, which he stuffed several of the bags into, leaving the shelf almost empty.

Wearing a red T-shirt to cover his face, he then 'brazenly' made a rude gesture at the camera before walking off with the stolen goods.

The owner, Laura McCann, 34, said around £200 worth of the sweet treats were stolen in the raid.

The mother-of-two said: 'I'm just shocked that this boy thought it was okay to come and raid our business.

'He knew he was being filmed too because he just flipped the bird at the camera like he was laughing at us. It's sickening.'

The small business is run by Ms McCann and her husband Lee, 36, and regular customers include night shift workers, police officers and paramedics.

It operates by using an honesty box, but the couple say they fall victim to thieves almost every week who exploit the payment system.

Ms McCann said: 'Some people say to us we should shut the shed down but it's our business, it's not a hobby.

'We've been struck before with people using fake money or stealing. It's a family business these people are targeting.

'We have always operated an honesty box policy and keep the shed open 24/7 because there is demand through the night.

'I would say 99 per cent of people are trustworthy and leave the right money but it's the small minority who abuse the system.

'We don't report every theft to police but the brazen way this boy came in with a bag and emptied the fridge and even flicked a finger at the camera made me really angry.'

The footage amassed thousands of views on Facebook after it was shared by the owner, who was later contacted by the boy's parents offering to cover the cost of the stolen food.

Ms McCann said: 'The response online has been incredible and we were contacted by the boy's parents.

'To be fair to them they have offered to pay for the food taken and want us to proceed with pressing charges with the police.'

It comes after the couple were forced to close their kitchen last week due to the heatwave. 

Her cousin Terri-Ann Lee has launched a GoFundMe page to help the business buy more secure storage, with hopes of eventually purchasing a vending machine costing thousands of pounds.

She wrote: 'Sadly, their cake shed has been targeted by thieves multiple times. Each burglary has cost them money, damaged their business, and made it even harder to keep going. 

'No small business should have to face this, especially one that gives so much back to the community.

'We don't want to see the cake shed close because of the actions of a few selfish people.

'We're hoping to raise enough money to help fund one or more secure vending machines. These would allow Mum Made Meals to continue serving the community while greatly reducing the risk of theft and helping protect their livelihood.'