Staff at a food store dedicating their time to helping vulnerable customers during the coronavirus pandemic have been forced to spend hours dealing with items dumped outside a clothing and shoes donation bank, despite there being no collections.
The collection point for The Salvation Army outside the Co-op store in Gowerton, Swansea, has been taped shut, and people have been warned there will be no collections there.
But despite efforts, mounds and mounds of clothing and even a few black bags full of general waste have been left dumped outside.
It has caused an issue for staff, who have been forced to put time into dealing with the issue, reducing the hours that can be spent helping those most in need.
Once it was cleared up, staff managed to find a charity to accept the items with the help of Swansea councillor Sue Jones, but they have pleaded with people not to continue to dump it whilst the pandemic continues.
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"It's been happening since the self-isolation period started," said store manager Dan Jones.
"For some reason someone has also been and decided to open up all the bags which has caused an even bigger mess.
"People have got time on their hands at the moment and are clearing their houses but are not using common sense. Nothing is open and it is not going to be collected. They are just dumping it onto us.
"It's very unsightly. We're spending a lot of time trying to help our vulnerable customers and myself and my team manager had to spent two hours clearing it all up and getting it into bags.
"We are a small store serving an area where we are delivering to vulnerable customers in areas like Penclawdd and Three Crosses and it's really something we don't need.
"It's mainly clothes but some people have been putting black bags there full of general waste."
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Mr Jones added that intentions were good, but asked people to "think about the timing."
"If you want to donate to charity, that's absolutely fantastic, but hold onto it for now until they re-open again," he said.
Discussing how the store was faring, Mr Jones added: "People are very thankful for the work we are doing. The community is really appreciative and there are no issues with people waiting outside and taking their turn coming in. All in all it has brought out the best in people."
In March, we reported how The Pettifor Trust, a charity devoted to the welfare of animals in Swansea, had experienced a similar problem, with piles of items dumped outside the doors of its base in Sketty, despite it being closed at the time, following on from Government advice.
