Give a little more to local charity shops

Elaine Chenery, manager of the Barby Keel Charity Shop, St Leonard's Road, says she regularly arrives at work to find goods spreading from her shop doorway over the pavement, despite signs asking people not to do so.

Speaking on Thursday morning, Elaine said: "I arrived at ten to seven and this is what I found. People have gone through it and taken all the best bits.

"We have now got to get it to the tip. This happens two or three times a week, and it costs us money to get rid of it."

The shop has two vans which collect goods from people's homes, as well as food collection sites in Sainsbury's Bexhill and Hastings.

Elaine believes some of the material is left on their doorstep after boot sales.

She said: "It's always worse after Wednesdays and Sundays. I often think that's because of boot sales. People come this way home with their unsold stuff, and leave it. We have got signs up asking people not to leave rubbish out - we're happy to collect it."

Dave Wickens, a customer of the shop, said: "They do it because they don't want people to know where it comes from, and because they cannot park outside the shops when they are open."

Other Bexhill charity shops have experienced similar problems.

Polly Burr, assistant manager of Mind in Devonshire Road, said: "We are always very grateful, but it's important that the stuff that's left out is saleable by the time it reaches us.

"We do try and ask people not to leave things outside. I was thinking of making a big sign actually.

"If it rains during the night it's pointless leaving it there. It goes straight in the bin - I wouldn't expect my volunteers to root through it.

"The best way is to come into the shop whilst it's open."

Other shops agree that the best way to donate is to visit during shop hours. Cliff Howe works in both British Heart Foundation and Age Concern. He said: "Dumping outside is not a huge problem, but of course we'd much rather people come in and handed the stuff in when we are open.

"We have somebody that collects our rags, and we do benefit from them to a certain extent.

"Something you can't help is that people do bring rubbish in rather than quality stuff. Sometimes people bring it here rather than take stuff to the tip but you can only sell good quality stuff. But that's something you have to live with."