A CHARITY is urging people to be vigilant after thieves were seen taking donation bags from supporters’ homes.

The donations were meant for leading veterinary charity organisation PDSA, which has a store based in Long Wyre Street, in Colchester.

A PDSA driver went to collect the pink donation bags in Coggeshall and Peldon when he found most of them had already been taken. The bags were full of items including clothes, toys, home furnishings and books.

The PDSA collection van is blue and branded with the charity’s logo, but supporters from the area have reported seeing a white van picking up the charity bags.

PDSA store manager Brenda Economou said: “It’s awful that people can steal from a charity.

“We usually pick up 75 to 80 sacks on a round, but the stock collector only managed to pick up 13 on recent trips. The charity has lost out on vital donations because of this.”

A spokesman for Essex police said this sort of crime has been increasing across the county in recent years and added:

“This is a dispicable crime and it takes a callous thief to take items left by residents for charity. We want to catch those responsible and urge people to be vigilant and report suspicious activity.”