A fraction of the cash made by the sale of secondhand goods picked up in some charity doorstep collections actually goes to good causes, an MP has warned.

Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow urged residents to be vigilant when making doorstep donations of second-hand goods to their chosen charity because they could be lining the pockets of third party organisations working for commercial gain, not the charity they are collecting for.

The MP is backing charity the British Heart Foundation (BHF) campaign to raise awareness of the problem, and visited the organisation’s Worcester Park shop to highlight the issue.

BHF has seen a 25 per cent drop in household collections due to the commercial activity, costing them £3 million a year.

He advised residents to take donations directly to charity shops or donate to a charity that organises its own collections, to always ask the collector for ID to check they are genuine, and to ask collectors what percentage of the proceeds from their goods go to charity.