Suspected fraudsters have been caught on CCTV leaving a fake charity clothes collection bin outside a parade of shops.
The green collection bin, displaying a poster that reads: "We love to recycle clothes and shoes", was dropped off outside Cleeve Wood Road shops in Downend .
CCTV footage shows a white van pulling up opposite the row of shops just after 7.40am and two men in hi-viz jackets depositing the charity bin, before then driving off.
It is the second such collection bin to have appeared in Bristol with no notice in recent weeks.
The charity name on the front of the box, Cheeky Monkey Recycle Co, does not link with any known charity.
There are no further charity or business contact details anywhere on the bin – which should, by law, be displayed on any legitimate charity collection bin.
Shopkeepers on Cleeve Wood Road have now reported the bin and are urging passers-by not to use it.
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A notice attached to the bin by shopkeepers reads: "Please do not use this bin as it is believed to be fraudulent.
"This clothes donation bin arrived here without any authorisation or permission.
"The business owners in the rank of shops have looked into this and found there is a known scam of installing 'fake' donation bins.
"The donated clothes are then being sold for profit under the guise of it being donated for a good cause.
"The information on this bin (company info etc.) is not linked to any actual registered charity or business.
"It also contains no registered charity or business details, which all legitimate donation bins must legally contain.
"The bin has been reported as fraudulent and we are working on its removal. We strongly advise against using it."
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The shopkeepers wrote: "We have done some research and contacted the Textile Recycling Association.
"They have confirmed that a legally placed bin will have all details of the company/charity they are collecting for with contact address, telephone etc.
"We have researched this company and there is no listing of them anywhere.
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"This is a known scam to the TRA whereby people take reputable bins, re-spray and label and then collect clothing for their own profit, which means charities lose out.
"There are old marking on the bin from previous labelling too. They have also not asked for permission to place this bin here, which they legally need to do."
And in comments on the Facebook post, a number of people have reported seeing similar bins appearing elsewhere around Bristol.
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Michelle Phillips wrote: "Can you tell me who you contacted as one has appeared in the Co-op car park in Downend as well."
Hanneke Krijt commented: "One has popped up in Mangotsfield as well, and someone dumped an old suitcase next to it."
And Carol Magoda from Kingswood added: "There is another one in Cadbury Heath by Co-op."
