HUNDREDS of people have signed a petition calling on Bromley Council to reverse its decision to ban a charity from running its clothes banks on council land.

At the end of this month the charity Scope will no longer be able to put its clothes banks on council-owned land, such as pavements.

Instead, environmental company Veoila, who currently run other waste services for the council, will run the borough’s clothes banks in a move which will cost Scope thousands of pounds.

Last year their 34 banks received 213 tonnes of clothes, which raised around £360,000 for the charity.

More than 1,150 people have now signed a petition calling on Bromley Council to reverse their decision. Scope shop managers will deliver the petition to the council ahead of the May 31 deadline to remove the clothing banks.

Bromley shop manager Wendy Howden said: “We started collecting signatures last Tuesday and have had a really good response so far.

“People aren’t throwing their clothes out when they put them in banks. They are donating them to a good cause. They know any profits go to support vital work.”

Portfolio holder for the environment Councillor Colin Smith said: “We are extremely happy if people want to donate clothes to a charity and there are many charity shops across the borough that make worthy choices.

"Indeed, many residents already do precisely this and we want this to continue, thereby benefitting all charities and not just one.

"Scopes own figures show that as door to door recycling collections have increased, the amount of clothing left at the banks has declined by 63% since 2007.

"We are planning to introduce a door to door collection service which will increase choice, recycling rates, and thereby save council taxpayers money at a time when everyone’s budgets have been significantly reduced.”