A HEART charity is warning generous householders to beware of bogus charity bag collections.

The British Heart Foundation is urging Huddersfield people to watch out for commercial collectors making money from second-hand goods.

The call comes at a time when charity shop donations are falling and the international price for second-hand textiles is at an all-time high, according to the charity.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has also revealed as little as 4% of income from doorstep collections can sometimes go to charities. And some companies may pocket up to 60% of the proceeds.

Debbie Boylen, regional manager for BHF retail, said: “The British Heart Foundation carries out doorstep collections using clearly identified vans and drivers and 100% of the proceeds stay with the charity.

“In contrast, some charities form partnerships with commercial companies, who collect door-to-door.

“The company keeps all the donated goods and then re-sells them for profit, mostly to overseas markets. They then make a royalty payment to the charity.

“We know that in some cases, charities are getting as little as £100 per tonne of goods collected when, in fact, the goods can sell abroad for an average of around £500 per tonne but can reach up to £1,100 for top-quality, sorted textiles.”