Burnham-On-Sea residents are being urged to be cautious about responding to a leaflet being dropped through town letterboxes which encourages donations of clothing.
Scores of the leaflets (pictured right) were delivered across Burnham on Monday March 13th, but Trading Standards officials have asked people to exercise caution.
The company behind the leaflets, Cycle Aid Ltd, may be misleading residents with the promise of sending clothing to the developing world, according to Trading Standards officials.
They have warned that residents should be “cautious” in relation to the claims.
On the leaflets, Burnham householders are invited to leave unwanted clothing in a bag outside their door. The donated items will then be “carefully sorted and sent to the third world to those in need.”
But one member of Burnham-On-Sea.com’s discussion forum, who received the leaflet on Monday morning, said she suspected the document may not be all it seems.
She said: “Someone posted the leaflet through my door requesting unwanted clothing be left outside in a bag for collection on Wednesday. It states that the clothing donated will be distributed to third world countries, but in very small print at the bottom it says ‘Please note that Cycle Aid Ltd is a collecting company not a charity’.”
A search on the Internet turned up the information that Trading Standards officials in Monmouthshire had issued a cautionary statement about the company in September 2005.
The warning states: “Monmouthshire Trading Standards are advising residents to be aware that some clothing collectors may be misleading them with their promises to send used clothing to people in the developing world.”
“It is believed that once the clothes are collected, they are often sold on, sometimes to Eastern Europe, and may not reach their publicised destination.”
“Trading Standards are advising residents to be cautious in relation to the claims made by the company. The flyers left by the company can be pink or yellow with a heart in the centre and residents are urged to leave unwanted clothing in a bag outside their door.”
“There is a statement in very small print at the bottom, which states ‘Please note that Cycle Aid is a collecting company not a charity.”
The Trading Standards statement adds: “There is a genuine company called Cycle Aid Ltd, which is based in Lancashire, and is not connected in any way with the business of clothing collections – it actually specialises in legal claims after cycling accidents.”
