MILTON S cash-strapped children s hospice – the Ely Standard s charity of the year – is struggling to pay the cost of disposing of other people s rubbish. Hundreds of sacks of donated goods sent to its sorting and distribution centre are only fit for land

MILTON'S cash-strapped children's hospice - the Ely Standard's charity of the year - is struggling to pay the cost of disposing of other people's rubbish.

Hundreds of sacks of donated goods sent to its sorting and distribution centre are only fit for landfill and recycling.

Now East Anglia's Children's Hospices, which run the Milton centre and one near Ipswich, are spending more than £10,000 a year to get rid of the rubbish.

The costs come on top of a £650,000 shortfall reported by EACH last year which prompted the Ely Standard to step in and urge its readers to help raise money for the charity.

Since our appeal early last year readers have risen to the challenge organising numerous fund-raising events and helping to swell the hospice's cash by over £75,000.

The rubbish disposal costs have doubled over recent months and Carolyn Emblen, retail manager of the charity's sorting and distribution centre in Thetford said they were "overwhelming" the organisation.

"We get eight van loads of stuff a week," she said. "Some of it is really nasty like dirty nappies, used condoms and dirty clothes or it is useless things like broken toasters, furred-up kettles, chipped ornaments and crockery and one shoe.

"Every charity has the same problem, with people taking rubbish to the charity shops rather than throwing it away. We just want people to be a bit more thoughtful when they are sorting their stuff."

Mrs Emblen added that the charity shops had increased sales by 26 per cent over the last year and were a crucial funding stream.