Masked men broke into the grounds of a hospice in an incident its boss described as “distressing” for patients and staff.
Temporary fencing around Rotherham Hospice was damaged by two intruders, who accessed the site at about 17:00 BST on Wednesday.
The hospice said a neighbour spotted the men and shouted at them, prompting them to flee.
It followed a similar incident at the premises at the end of last week, leading the hospice to issue a fundraising appeal for £15,000 to urgently improve security at the site.
Police said it was investigating criminal damage at the hospice on Broom Road and appealed for members of the public with information to get in touch.
The temporary fencing had only been erected last month after damage was caused to the hospice’s permanent site boundary.
