'Don't dump your dirty knickers on us' - charity

A charity shop is urging people not to use it as a dumping ground for dirty underwear.

Natalie Shaw, who runs the Doris Banham Dog Rescue in North Hykeham near Lincoln, said some of the items people donated "beggars belief".

"I don't know how they even have the nerve to bring these things to the charity shop. We're not a tip," she said.

Ms Shaw added people also regularly turn up to donate kitchen items that are "broken, dirty, ripped or stained".

Most of the time, customers are understanding, but some can be abusive when they get turned away, Ms Shaw said.

"It can be really quite overwhelming. Some of them don't understand that we can't take in everything.

"Some people bring us things that are broken, dirty, ripped or stained. We can't sell those items in our shops and it costs us," she said.

"We have dirty underwear, we have people that clean out their kitchens and bring us roasting dishes full of fat," she added.

A charity shop in Grimsby recently closed due to a lack of suitable donations.

Pam Hodge, who ran the The Rock Foundation on Heneage Road, said the shop had seen its fair share of unsuitable donations.

"Some people do it deliberately. I just think it's one way of getting rid of their junk. I think some people just don't think," she said.

Robin Osterley, chief executive of the Charity Retail Association, said people donating items like dirty underwear did not shock him.

"Occasionally people can be thoughtless," he said.

"It's often a volunteer digging around in a bag, so to come across that sight is very unfortunate indeed."

Mr Osterley advised people to "be thoughtful" and "imagine that you've got someone at the other end".

He added: "Charity shops are not household waste sites. If you know that there is something that's badly stained, then a waste site is your answer."

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