VANDALS have robbed a charity of a large amount of clothing by pouring an unknown toxic substance into a textile collection bank.

Dozens of garments were ruined by the brown sticky liquid placed in the container in the main car park in Barnard Castle, County Durham.

Two Oxfam volunteers who were sorting out the clothes became ill - and yesterday they criticised the vandals who caused the trouble.

Garments which would have been worth about £150 had to be dumped and the container closed until environmental health officials can identify the substance and have it cleared away.

Daphne Bateman, manager of the town's Oxfam shop, said: "We are all absolutely furious. We are desperately trying to raise money to ease a dreadful crisis in the Sudan and this has hit us badly.

"It is terrible to think that cash which could be used to offset human suffering has been wasted because of a bunch of mindless hooligans."

The clothing, donated by local people, was taken from the container and put into plastic bags by volunteer Joyce Guthrie and her husband, Bruce, on Friday night.

They took it to the Oxfam shop, in Horsemarket, where Mrs Bateman started helping Mrs Guthrie to sort it.

Mrs Bateman added, "As we started unfolding it we both began feeling sick and had to stop.

"The smell was nauseating. I was violently ill a few hours later and Mrs Guthrie is still off colour. Every item had to be dumped."

Police Sergeant Jeremy Downing said: "This was a totally senseless piece of vandalism. It is hard to understand how anyone could get pleasure from causing this kind of damage. The substance has not yet been identified."

Anyone who spotted the damage being caused, or saw people hanging about near the container, is asked to call police on (01833) 637328