A CRACKDOWN on doorstep ‘charity’ collections has been launched by trading standards.

Residents are being warned to think carefully before putting clothes out in bags posted through their front door.

A recent initiative to collect intelligence on scams identified 44 different clothing collections.

Only 10 of these were found to be operated by or on behalf of charities where the donated clothes would be sold directly from charity shops.

Another 31 were collections made by private businesses which then make a donation to a charity or charitable cause.

The amount of money donated was found to vary greatly with some not specifying an amount, some making a minimum monthly payment and others specifying a figure based on the weight of clothes received.

Three of the collections were found to be operated by commercial businesses who sold the clothes for their own profit with no money going to charitable causes.

One collection leaflet was found to be bogus, purporting to be from a charity when in fact there was no connection.

County Coun Albert Atkinson, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “You can’t assume the clothes you give in response to receiving a collection bag or leaflet will automatically go to charity — read the information printed on it first.

“If the items are going to a private company which makes a donation to charity, you need to consider how much this will be and whether you're happy with the amount.

“If it’s a relatively small sum, you might decide to donate them directly to a charity shop or give a cash donation direct to the cause instead.”