TRADING Standards officers in North Somerset are warning leaflets being pushed through doors claiming to be from a charity may not be all that they seem. The leaflets are being pushed through letterboxes across North Somerset along with collection bags as

TRADING Standards officers in North Somerset are warning leaflets being pushed through doors claiming to be from a charity may not be all that they seem.The leaflets are being pushed through letterboxes across North Somerset along with collection bags asking for donations.The leaflet asks residents to fill the bag with books, shoes, kitchen appliances, garden tools, board games, unwanted electronic goods and left over foreign currency.Although the leaflet goes on to state that the organisation focuses on putting unwanted goods back into society through worldwide re-distribution, this may not be the case.North Somerset Trading Standards officers say in many cases the donated items never reach third world countries and little or no cash is given to charity.The goods are often taken to a warehouse where the better quality items are picked out and sold at markets across the country for profit. The remaining items are usually destroyed.Under the House to House Collections Act, charities, including those with an exemption from the Home Office, must register or notify the council before organising a collection of goods.To check whether a charity is registered to make collections, contact the Licensing Section of North Somerset Council on 01275 884373.