INCREASING numbers of people have been hitting the charity shops looking for bargains over the festive period.

Charity chiefs said that more shoppers were flocking to charity shops for bargains which had helped ofset a downturn in donations caused by the credit crunch.

Disability charity Scope’s area manager for Blackburn, Sally Hutchinson, said: “As a result of the credit crunch, we have noticed an increase in more customers visiting our stores, including in Blackburn, as they hunt for a good bargain.

“However, we have also noticed something of a return of the ‘make do and mend’ culture which has meant that Scope, like other charity retailers, is experiencing a drop in stock donations given by members of the public in the area.”

The Cancer Research UK shop on Town Hall Street, Blackburn, and the Age Concern shop, Whalley Road, Accrington, have both seen an increase in shoppers.

Manager for the Cancer Research UK shop, Pat Kenyon, said: “More people are looking for items in really good condition at a lower price. We still have our regulars but we are seeing more people who we have never seen before.”

But shop manager of Age Concern in Great Harwood, Julie Clarkson, said she had noticed a definate reduction in quality donations.

She added: “We are not getting donations in because I think people are hanging onto things”.