Charity shops hit by dumped rubbish

CHARITY shop workers in Sevenoaks have said they are being left out of pocket by the "disgraceful" amount of rubbish dumped outside their shops.

Soiled clothes, gate posts, fences, party leftovers and unwashed chip pans are among some of the 'donations' volunteers have to sift through.

They said they do not want to discourage members of the public from donating to charity, but dealing with rubbish can cost them up to £30 each week.

Oxfam volunteer Elizabeth Warren said: "I came in on Friday and there were bags all over the front of the shop.

"The bags had split and litter was strewn all over the pavement. Another time someone had obviously just dropped off their rubbish bags after a party. They were full of broken crockery, serviettes and food scraps."

Sevenoaks and District Age Concern shop manager Shirley Long believes some people are simply too lazy to take their waste to the tip.

She said: "Sometimes bags just come in the front door and go pretty much straight out the back.We have to go through everything because, as we are in Sevenoaks, we often get lovely designer goods, so sometimes there are one or two nice things among the rubbish.

"If people knew the sorts of things we found in bags, they would be disgusted."

Ellie Roberts, Cancer Research relief manager for Kent and East Sussex, said all 21 of her shops had been affected experienced the problem.

She added: "We have rubbish dumped on our steps all the time. People use donating as an excuse."

Mrs Roberts stressed the onus was on the charity to pay for the removal of rubbish bags and felt aggrieved that vital funds were wasted in that way. She also feels the police could do more to help, but admitted they were limited by the fine line between donating and dumping.

A sign in the window asking people not to leave donations out of hours was taken down because Mrs Roberts thought it sent out the wrong message.

She said: "We don't want people to think we aren't grateful for donations, because as a charity shop we run on what people give us. Without them, we couldn't operate.

"We simply want to generate awareness and ask people to please stop dumping their rubbish on our doorsteps."

Sevenoaks District Council spokesman Daniel Whitmarsh said the council had not had any reports of the problem, but added : "We would advise residents who are thinking about donating to ensure their goods are in a decent a condition so they could be sold again, and that they only take their donations to the shops during their opening times. If anyone has doubts, call shops first."