I HAVE to agree with Maurice Henry (HAS, Oct 8) about charity collection bags. I fear I will soon be found buried under a plastic bag mountain.

I did some research to try and stop it a while ago when we were getting several a month.

Recently, the average went up to three a week.

I rang the police and the council and each said the other was responsible. I believed, naively, that the charities would have to get a licence, as for street and door-to-door collections.

This does not seem to be so.

I spoke to a couple of the more well-known charities. One was sympathetic, but nothing has come of it.

This can’t be good for the charities; it must cost them to produce, print and deliver the bags. It seems if we fill them they come back for more and if we don’t, well, they try, try, try again.

I cannot possibly fill more than one bag a month. I also prefer to take my bags to the local charity shops, which I do regularly.

If there is someone out there who can do something about this epidemic, please do. Meanwhile, I continue to use the surplus bags as binbags.

Kathy Harris, Barnard Castle, Co Durham.