Police investigating reports of potential fraudulent charity collectors have said they are legitimate.

Householders became suspicious when two teams of door-to-door collectors began going up and down streets in Bere Alston earlier this week.

Police investigated, viewing home doorbell CCTV and questioning residents, before discovering the collectors were genuine and working officially for two animal charities on Wednesday (March 4).

Officers thanked residents for being vigilant and said even though their worries were not confirmed, they would rather people reported incidents as soon as they became apparent, so they could reassure the public.

A police spokesman said: “Following reports from Bere Alston on Wednesday evening, regarding suspected fraudulent door-to-door charity collections for Woodside Animal Welfare Trust, officers have visited the area the next day and spoke to residents and viewed CCTV.

“We can confirm the collections were for Woodgreen Pets Charity and were legitimate. Both charities have been spoken to.”

Police then advised residents: “If you are ever in any doubt about people asking for money at your door, do not feel pressured to give.

“Do report to police if you have concerns. We would like to thank the residents who assisted with our enquiries and who helped with CCTV footage which helped us clarify the situation quickly and report back to reassure residents.”