'You name it, we’ve had it' - Yorkshire charity shop overwhelmed by fly-tipping

The Oxfam store, on Colne Road in Huddersfield, has faced weekly fly-tipping incidents in recent years.

Last weekend, staff arrived to find another pile outside, including a large ripped sofa and bags of unusable items.

“There was absolutely no way anyone thought that was a donation. It was categorically fly-tipped,” said store manager Deb Kings.

“Because we're a furniture store and we've got a car park, it's really easy for people to just pull up and dump things.”

A local tip has allowed the charity to dispose of the abandoned goods, but according to Deb, it would otherwise cost “hundreds and hundreds of pounds”.

There are also physical risks of repeatedly lifting heavy items, which is a particular concern as the charity shop has a number of older staff members, including one who is over 90 years old.

“Last weekend, it took one staff member and two other volunteers an hour to clear it,” Deb said. “I've had a bad back, I've had tennis elbow, and I've got sciatica.”

Aside from broken furniture, the store has seen an increasing amount of unusable clothing.

“The volume of dirty and totally useless clothing is going up,” says Deb, who believes that fast fashion might be partly to blame.

In her 15 years at Oxfam, she said the issue has worsened.

“We probably get five times as much clothing donated but out of that, probably 80 per cent is rubbish, and only 20-25 per cent is usable.”

Donations are valuable for the charity shop, but Deb stressed the importance of only donating items in good condition.

“If you wouldn't use it yourself or someone you know wouldn't use it, then really it's not suitable to sell,” Deb said.

“Give your local shop a call and just check what they can and can't take.”