Charity shop donations falling into thieves’ hands

Fed-up charity shop staff are crestfallen at the loss of revenue caused by repeated thefts from their store.

Claire Jaycock manages DEBRA in Montrose and bemoaned the frequent theft of items left outside the High Street shop overnight.

She said: “We are losing between 10 and 15 bags a week at the moment.

“People are either removing them completely or they take them around the corner up the close, and pick through them for the best items, leaving the rest scattered on the ground.”

The bags are often left by well-meaning donors after the shop has closed.

Ms Jaycock said bags can be worth between £50 and £100 each.

She added: “I’ve noticed a big difference since Christmas we are losing out on a great deal of money for our charity.”

Scott Bradley at the nearby Oxfam said the staff are locking bins overnight because it is being picked through in the same way.

“We have to lock our wheelie bins because even things we have rejected are attractive to some people,” he said.