The British Heart Foundation will be removing two collection bins located at Bure Parks shops in Bicester after ongoing illegal dumping of glass bottles and miscellaneous rubbish.

The larger red bin accepted clothing, literature, footwear, leather items and toys, while the smaller brown bin gathered books, compact discs and DVDs.

People in the area will now need to bring their donations to the British Heart Foundation shop on Sheep Street in Bicester instead.

Lesley Breedyk, the area manager for the charity, thanked everyone who had donated and mentioned that those unable to travel to the shop could use the organisation’s free postal service to send their items.

Cherwell District Council launched a household glass recycling collection service in January and has begun clearing glass collection points across the district.

Following assessment that Bure Park had become a hotspot for repeated illegal waste disposal, the council approached the charitable organisation and together they chose to eliminate the bins to help deter this criminal activity.

A council representative explained that their experience at other locations shows removing these facilities generally leads to stopping or substantially reducing illegal dumping. The council takes this issue seriously and will review any evidence that could help identify those responsible. Illegal waste disposal is an offence, and where those responsible can be found, enforcement action will be taken as appropriate.