Charity doorstep collection bags & burglaries.

StaffsSW

I've just had a visit from our local PCSO about a spate of thefts and burglaries around here.

Over the last few months I've noticed more and more of these charity bags being dropped off, normally 3 or 4 a week over recent months.
I know most of them are nothing more than recycling businesses that donate a small % of profits to charity, so more often than not the bags are just used as bin liners.

It turns out that we now have "itinerant travellers" as the PCSO called them - I think we know that he was referring to the lovely, well dressed, polite and hygenic types that offer to clean your gutters, tarmac your drive etc, that cruise the streets and look for the bags being left out, but also checking for unlocked front doors as well. I didn't know, but in an area of around 200 houses, there have been 22 break-ins in the last month!

We have all now been advised to donate direct to charity shops and not leave any bags at the door. Hopefully if the collection companies get no bags left out they'll stop coming round, and the travellers will move on.

So if you start getting more charity bags delivered, beware of the possible consequences!

nexuss

stevew8975 wrote: »

It turns out that we now have "itinerant travellers" as the PCSO called them - I think we know that he was referring to the lovely, well dressed, polite and hygenic types that offer to clean your gutters, tarmac your drive etc,

I think you will find most are eastern europeans who have set up in the UK.

Ivory_Tinkler

We had a charity bag come yesterday and two today. Only one of them is a registered bona fide charity, the other two are from companies who sell your donated items and give a percentage to overseas aid (so they say). I use those bags as bin liners as I'm all for recycling!

StaffsSW

nexuss wrote: »

I think you will find most are eastern europeans who have set up in the UK.

A lot of the charity bags are indeed dropped off by Eastern Europeans, but it's the types that are stealing them from doorsteps and breaking into houses around here.