'Charity' donation warning

The warning comes from East Sussex County Council Trading Standards Officers following a number of complaints from concerned residents about Help and Support Ltd, a business operating in the East Sussex area.

Help and Support Ltd and other similar companies have put flyers through letterboxes appealing for donations of unwanted clothes, footwear and household items to be distributed to families in the Third World.

The flyers could give the impression that the items are for charity but Trading Standards Officers believe the collections are organised by businesses that may sell the clothes and other items for profit.

The Help and Support leaflet had been carefully worded to give people the impression they would be donating to a charity but a check of the leaflet's fine print revealed that the company is a commercial organisation and not a charity.

Councillor Bob Tidy, Lead Member for Community Services, said: 'Residents should be aware that the organisations concerned are not registered charities and consequently the clothes may be sold for profit.

'We are concerned that these companies are depriving legitimate charities of income and misleading the public. So our advice will always be to check the small print before donating'