Charity shops dealing with 'constant' fly-tipping

Items left outside Weston Hospice Care in Weston-super-Mare

Charity shop managers say they are having to deal with "consistently being fly-tipped", which is causing them money to clean up.

Clothes, garden waste, tyres, and bank cards are among the items that have been found "dumped" outside charity shops across the West Country.

Director of retail at Weston Hospice Care, Weston-super-Mare, Emma King, said it had become hard to manage.

"We can't ask the council to take it away as it's on our land, meaning we have to pay for waste collection," she said.

"As a hospice it's really impactful. It can be absolutely everything.

"Some people feel like they're helping, but when things are left outside people rummage through it or it will be rained on so it becomes unusable or dirty.

"It's such a waste of lovely items," she added.

Ms King asked people who want to drop off donations to come into the store to see if what they have is useful.

Emma King said the charity Weston Hospice Care had to pay for waste collection

Jane Hill, manager of the Sue Ryder shop in Abbeydale, Gloucestershire, said fly-tipping had been taking place for as long as she had worked with the charity.

"It's constant, it could be two or three times a week," she said. "We get furniture, paintings, green waste.

"It really affects the money we make as a charity - it costs us money to have the rubbish taken away and it's one of our largest expenses."

'Beyond acceptable'

A spokesperson from the Sue Ryder charity shop in Kingswood, Bristol, said the situation had worsened.

Writing in a post on Facebook, they said bank cards and personal documents had been left outside the store.

"Thank you to the community that agreed this morning's situation was beyond acceptable," she said.

"My team have cleared the rubbish and it will cost a lot of money to dispose of responsibly."