A CHARITY with a fundraising shop in Thurrock has warned residents over con artists alleging to collect on its behalf.

It has come to the attention of Sense, the deafblind charity which runs a charity shop in Grays High Street, that door to door bucket collectors are targeting this area alleging to be collecting on behalf of Sense.

Sense representative, Clive Bilby said: "We would like to make it clear that we are not doing any cash collecting in the Grays area.

"Sense does have its own street and door-to-door fundraisers, but they will always wear a Sense uniform and carry a Sense ID, with contact details for our Head Office.

"We rely on the generosity of the general public to support our services by donating goods to our shops.

"We do this by distributing Sense bags, all carrying our official logo, our registered charity number and, again, the contact details of our UK offices. Our collection drivers will also always wear identification.

"The discovery that bogus collectors are using Sense's name is of great concern.

"We ask people to remain vigilant and report any concerns to Sense by calling 01322 554 999."