PEOPLE in North Yorkshire have been warned to be on their guard against bogus charity collectors.

A series of complaints have been received about leaflets being pushed through doors in York from a charity purporting to be collecting clothes for eastern European and developing countries.

Householders are asked to leave clothes outside for the charity to collect.

However, the "charity" is actually a commercial operation which sells the clothes on for profit.

The practice breaches advertising regulations, but council officials say it is difficult to track down the culprits.

Councillor Richard Moore said the Clifton Moor area of the city had been targeted at least six times this year.

He said: "These companies are misleading the public who think they are supporting charities. The truth is that the company is selling the goods on, and making money out of the misled public.

"The people who run these businesses are making money under false pretences and this practice should be stopped. Legitimate charities are losing out."

A council spokeswoman said: "The impression is often reinforced by the use of a registration number, which people may think is that of a registered charity, but is in fact a limited company number."

Bona fide collections are licensed by the council, which keeps records of legitimate collections in the area.

Coun Moore said legitimate charities supply a marked sack and he urged residents to take their goods to a local charity shops or wait for the next proper collection.