A charity supporter has criticised good causes for turning down books that could be sold to make cash to help the needy after struggling to offoad dozens of hardbacks.
Laurence Oliver said he spent the best part of two hours trying to get someone to take the books – around 80 page turners covering subjects including needlecraft, antiques and gardening.
But the 70-year-old said when he told them that the donation would need to be collected from his Grovehill home many were not interested.
He said: “99.9 per cent of the books are in pristine condition. They are worth money to them but they don’t seem to want to take them.
“Everyone you speak to says they would like them but when you ask them to collect they say they don’t really collect. They are not satisfied that you are offering them money.
“It is supposed to be charity but they want to be ultra selective on what they take and how they take it.”
Laurence and his wife Margaret wanted a charity to benefit from the books rather than throw them away.
They finally managed to give them to the Hemel Hempstead Lions Club, which operates a popular secondhand bookshop in the Marlowes Shopping Centre.