A recycling company has been fined for distributing collection bags in Hertfordshire for a charity with which its agreement had expired.

GT Recycling Initiatives Ltd appeared in Watford Magistrates Court on May 21 after pleading guilty to misleading consumers that their collection bags were authorised by a charity when they were not.

Hertfordshire Trading Standards, which prosecuted the company, said the charity had had an agreement with GT Recycling, but it had ended when the bags were distributed.

In mitigation the company said that the charity continued to receive financial donations from the use of their bags.

However they conceded that the bags should have been withdrawn and that their efforts to do this had not been good enough.

Richard Thake, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: "The public have a right to know that items that they put into collection bags will benefit the charity named on the bag. If you have any concerns about this you should contact the charity and check that the collections are really being done on their behalf."

The company were also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,286.40. The collection bags seized by Trading Standards were ordered to be destroyed.