Staff had to push “grotty” rubbish out of the way to get into a charity shop due to “lazy” people dumping unwanted items.

Age UK’s store in St Albans Road, Watford, welcomes good quality donations given during business hours, but on Saturday morning (September 23) it was greeted with a mess blocking the door.

With the pile including a folding chair, armchair and various toys, it is being treated as a fly-tip after being left at night.

“It’s a dump,” said shop manager Karen Hird. “We do get it a lot but not usually quite that bad. It’s sheer laziness, they couldn’t be bothered to take it themselves and it's grotty now.

“They knew we couldn’t take it, but they chose to dump it.”

Watford Observer: Fly-tip outside Age UKFly-tip outside Age UK (Image: Cllr Dawn Allen)

She said that good quality items are appreciated when handed in, but if they are left at night they are often stolen, damaged, or left strewn across the road outside.

Liberal Democrat borough councillor Dawn Allen-Williamson shared a picture of the pile after it had been moved and reported it.

She said: “People should be mindful if you need to give away stuff at the charity shop, don’t leave them on the pavement like that, it's classed as a fly-tip and it’s a crime.”