Residents have been thanked for supporting a new charity doorstep collection service in part of Elmbridge.

The borough council has joined forces with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for the initiative, which is being trialled for six months.

Under the scheme, people living in areas where recycling is collected on a Tuesday or Wednesday can donate their unwanted clothes, shoes, books, bags, CDs and DVDs.

These items are then collected and delivered to BHF shops, where they are sold on to raise funds.

The financial reward received by the council for recycling the items instead of sending them to landfill, meanwhile, is being donated to two other charities.

They are the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher and The Royal Cambridge Home in East Molesey.

The former provides end of life care services throughout Surrey, south west London and Middlesex, while the latter has been providing care to elderly ladies for more than 150 years.

In the first two weeks that the scheme has been running, more than seven tonnes of items have been collected.

And more than £300 has been raised for Princess Alice Hospice and The Royal Cambridge Home.

BHF area manager Sue Beale said: “We are delighted with the response from the residents across the trial area. 

“It is wonderful that so many have been able to see the benefit of this convenient and reliable partnership while reducing the burden on landfill and helping the BHF continue its lifesaving work.”

The borough council has said that the service could be introduced in other part sof Elmbridge if the trial proves successful.

Glenn Dearlove, the authority’s portfolio holder for the environment, said: “Thank you very much to everyone who generously donated to the British Heart Foundation using the council’s clothes collection service.

“We’re proud to offer another fantastic collection scheme – one which will help not one but three charities, as well as enabling households to keep recycling even more.”