Residents have been warned not to confuse a leaflet for a commercial doorstep collection with an urgent stock appeal for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) shop in Watford.

The charity has seen leaflets from the British Charity Foundation circulating in the area showing an image of a heart, similar to the symbol of the BHF, and asking donors to leave their unwanted items in plastic bags on their doorstep to be collected.

The leaflets are produced by W&W Help Limited.

Debbie Dixon, the BHF's regional shops manager, said: “We are concerned that householders may think this collection is for the BHF Watford shop. Our enquiries show that these items will be sold for commercial gain.

“BHF Shops are desperate for donations of good quality clothes, shoes, handbags, bric-a-brac, books, CDs and DVDs. We’d urge anyone with good quality items to bring them directly to one of our shops or to call us to arrange a collection.

“All profits raised from goods donated to BHF Shops go directly to fighting heart disease, which remains the UK’s biggest killer.“ BHF collection vans display BHF logos and drivers carry identification cards, which they are instructed to produce if asked by a member of the public.

The Watford Observer has contacted W&W Help Limited for a comment.

For information about collections, telephone your local shop on 0844 412 5000 or visit bhf.org.uk/shops.