FED up staff at a Port Glasgow charity shop are urging customers to stop and think before they 'dump' donations on the street. 

The dedicated team at the Marie Curie store in Princes Street ay they are always very appreciative of contributions and want to keep receiving them from the public.

But store manager Tricia Murphy has stressed that leaving bags of goods outside the shop when it's not open can pose a health and safety risk to staff and to members of the public. 

Tricia arrived at her work to find an assortment of bags piled up against the store's shutters which made it difficult for her to open up the shop. 

Greenock Telegraph:
She says dumping donations in this way is classed as fly-tipping and has appealed to customers to stop getting rid of goods on the streets. 

Tricia said: "We are always hugely grateful for donations and we don't want customers to stop thinking of us.

"We would just urge people to wait until the store is open before they drop them off. 

"They could have been left there on Saturday night or anytime on Sunday. 

"Dogs could have urinated on them and there's a potential fire risk with people walking past, anyone could chuck a cigarette in on the pile. 

"All of the charity shops across Inverclyde will have the same problem."

Tricia and her team of three volunteers sometimes receive between 150 and 200 bags in a week. 

With limited space available to store goods in the back of the shop, and when the shelves are too full, the team have to turn donations away. 

Tricia added: "All we ask is for people to understand that we're a small shop and we don't have a lot of space in the back. 

"I have to think about the health and safety of our volunteers and to make sure we have enough space for them to work. 

"Sometimes we just don't have the space to take items in but we do our best to turn all the donations around and get them out on the shelves."

Tricia has appealed to people across Inverclyde to have a bit of patience after they have a clear out. 

She added: "Donations are the bread and butter of our shop and we couldn't do without them but please wait for us to be open before you hand anything in."