A COMPANY that claims to collect unwanted goods for people in the Third World, but may not send them there, has been targeting homes in North Yorkshire.

Helpmates Limited has leafleted households across the region asking from everything from "ladies and gents" clothing to "underwear and cosmetics".

The flier asks people to leave the bags of unwanted items outside their doors on a specified day to be collected.

Although the flier notes in small print that Helpmates Ltd is a commercial company, it appears to operate as a charity and claims donations are "urgently needed" for people in the Third World. It also states that sorting the goods provides jobs in deprived countries.

The leaflet also claims that supporting Helpmates will lead to the giver being "rewarded by God".

As the company is not licensed to collect for charities, there are no controls on where the donations go, and this means items can be sold on for profit by the people behind the operation, duping people who think they are helping the Third World in the process.

A spokesman for Trading Standards said that as long as the collectors did not refer to themselves as working for a charity, they were acting within the law, so nothing could be done to stop the operation.

Rosy and Charles Hunt, who live in Wilton Rise, off Holgate Road, in York, said they felt angry when the leaflet landed on their doorstep.

"We were cheesed-off when we realised that the leaflet was some bogus charity attempt," said Rosy.

"We often help out charity by taken bags of clothes to charity shops and this leaflet, which looks very genuine, almost had me convinced.

"When I read the small print at the bottom and realised that what I was about to donate to was not a charity, I was very angry. I felt like banging on every house in the neighbourhood and telling them to ignore the leaflet."

North Yorkshire police have warned York residents to be careful when such leaflets are pushed through the door.

A spokeswoman said: "We would advise people to always read the small print and to be aware of exactly who and what they are donating to. If in doubt, contact the organisation to clarify exactly who will benefit."

Inquiries about clothing collections can be made by phoning Trading Standards on 01698 476222/3 or through the Charity Commission helpline on 0870 333 0123.