Couple rout troop charity thieves

“WE weren’t letting them take that bag” . . . Eileen and George Meynell after tackling the thieves

Warning after bogus collectors strike
A PAIR of have-a-go heroes managed to snatch a bag of clothes off a duo of conmen posing as charity collectors.

Eileen and George Meynell, of Hilbre Avenue, Royton, had filled the bag, provided by charity Troop Aid, half full of unwanted clothing.

But soon after placing it on their doorstep at 8am yesterday, their suspicions were aroused when a small red van pulled up outside.

Eileen (64) said: “We had read in the paper about scams, so I was on the look out. A man jumped out of the van and ran down the path and grabbed the bag quickly.

“By the time I got outside he was already in the van. I went up to him and asked him where they were from.”

To her surprise one of the men showed her an ID tag, reading Clothes Aid, but Eileen wasn’t convinced.

She said: “My husband must have heard me run outside so he came out and grabbed the bag off them. They seemed to be in a hurry to go.

“We weren’t letting them have it. We saw the same charity bags in the back of the van, then they sped off as fast as they could with the passenger door still open.”

The highly-recognisable bags are emblazoned with a Union Jack.

Eileen said: “I’m sure they’re selling it on for profit, and it just shows you how desperate people can be. They are taking advantage of people’s generosity.”

“I was so annoyed. Not long after the genuine collectors arrived in a van.

“We just want to warn people, judging by the amount they had they had obviously done this somewhere else.”

They didn’t get the van’s registration number as it sped off too fast, but they described the pair as foreign with a shaky grasp of the English language, white and in their mid-30s.

The Troop Aid charity, whose patron is Prince Charles, contract the collection out to a company called D and P Textiles in Birmingham, which then credits money back to the charity.

The charity, which is registered, was set up in 2006 and aims to provide injured servicemen with basic essentials when returning from overseas.

A spokesperson said: “We do a lot of good work and every month we get a cheque from the collections ranging from £500 to £1,000.

“The public have to be aware of these scams and they can get in touch if they have any suspicions.

“These people are using our good name and taking advantage of kindness, but it’s impossible to keep a track on every scam going.”

To get in touch with the charity or if you have any concerns visit www.troop aid.info.