What does a charity do with mile of free hoses?

CHARITIES are usually grateful if donors send gifts.

But one has been left baffled by the delivery of a mile of garden hoses – and has pleaded for more suitable items.

Edinburgh-based Fresh Start helps homeless people settle in their new houses by supplying them with household goods.

But it has been inundated with a series of packages containing the hoses – despite the fact none of those they help live in properties with gardens.

The parcels with the hoses have been arriving every other day for two weeks in Amazon deliveries – and now total 101. At 50ft long each, they add up to a total length of almost a mile.

Although grateful for help, Fresh Start has no use for them and would much rather have handy household items.

Managing director Keith Robertson said: ‘It has got my caretaker going mad, which tickles me, but we’ve not quite got to the bottom of why we are getting these hoses. If they have been sent by a donor then it’s really generous and we are grateful for that – but it’s things for setting up a home we need.

‘The items we would like to appeal for are cleaning products, kitchen utensils, clean pillows and small electric items.’

In 2016, Shelter Scotland revealed some of the bizarre items it had been sent, including a caravan, a mummified cat, 40 life-sized plastic pigeons and a full bag of dirty underwear.