A St Annes mum has been left ‘angry and disappointed’ after five charity bags she left outside her home were stolen.

Cleo Proctor, 43, left the bags for the charity Gift Aid to Africa, but the bags – which contained baby and children’s clothing — were taken while Mrs Proctor was on the school run.

She presumed the charity had collected the bags but when she contacted them she was told their collection had not started at that time.

Mrs Proctor, of Chatsworth Road, said: “I decided to contribute to the charity after reading one of their leaflets.

"My mum is Zimbabwean so issues in Africa really concern me and it seemed such a good cause.

“I felt so sad when I found out the bags had been taken by someone else.

“I am sure the person who took the bags has probably sold the clothes at a car boot sale.

"I can’t believe somebody would take them from a charity.

"I am so angry and disappointed the clothes aren’t going where I want them to.”

Mrs Proctor said the bags were taken between 8.30am and 9am last Friday, December 5.

She added: “It’s shocking that people would stoop so low.

"It won’t put me off filling charity bags again – but next time I will arrange for a collector to come to the door for them.

“The people that have taken these bags have come up the drive and just walked away with them.

"I would warn other people in the area who leave out charity bags to be careful, because this could happen again.”