I HOPE the people of St Pranciskus Asyzietis parish in Lithuania enjoy my donation.

Despite the Daily Echo’s coverage of some suspect charity bags being delivered in Bournemouth, “Bernhardos” still turned up to collect mine, filled with nothing other than plastic bags.

After the Echo featured the sacks, which ask for clothes and other items “which you do not use more”, we decided to see if they would be collected.

And yesterday morning in Morley Road, Pokesdown, a battered old Transit van turned up to do just that.

Asking its occupants, a man and a woman who spoke with Eastern European accents, where the goods would be going and if they were for charity, they claimed not to understand and made several phone calls, all in what sounded like Russian, and eventually I was handed the phone.

The speaker, Dar Kammanstas, said he was the organisation’s manager in Bristol.

He also claimed to speak little English, but confirmed that the goods would go to Lithuania.

Struggling to elaborate further, he said he would answer all my queries via e-mail. As the Daily Echo went to press, he had not responded.

A website printed on the bags, sparko-ltd.co.uk, says donations will be given to St Pranciskus Asyzietis parish and a “minimum 50 pounds from each sold tone of your contributed clothes will be transfored for Bernhardos”.

Brenda Brown, of Morley Road, was caught out and agreed to leave her bag out after the Echo alerted her.

She said: “It’s the charity that’s going to be worse off; I didn’t even check to be quite honest. It’s so naughty, I will absolutely check it more closely next time.

“I’ve worked for British Red Cross, Scope and Mind over 20 years. As I’ve got older I can’t take the bags to the shops so now I put them out, it’s terrible.”

Bernhardos is listed with Companies House as a Bristol business called Sparco Ltd, but is not a registered charity.

Trading Standards warned residents to steer clear of the Bernhardos sacks and officers in Bristol are investigating Sparco.

Anyone with concerns should call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.