THE North West Air Ambulance is considering halting charity clothes collections for a month due to thieves stealing the goods.

The charity estimates that £1,000 a week is being lost because of organised gangs who are collecting the clothes using fake flyers and even false uniforms, and then ship the goods for sale to the continent.

Footage filmed on behalf of the North West Air Ambulance charity shows bags of clothes being illegally collected and put into the back of unmarked transit vans.

The charity needs to raise £4.2 million each year to keep its two emergency helicopters flying.

Charity Chief Executive Lynda Brislin said: “We are appalled that people are taking these clothes knowing full well they have been donated to a charity.

“We are sadly thinking of taking the drastic measure of halting our collections for one month in the hope the police and trading standards officials could flush out the people who are hurting the charity financially.”

If anyone is suspicious they should contact the charity on 0800 587 4570.