Clothes and utensils left behind by students saying goodbye to Oxford over the summer holidays, are being found new homes in the name of charity.

Staff at Oxford Brookes University's Clive Booth Halls in John Garne Way, Marston, are sifting through bags of unwanted items and delivering them to charity shops across Headington.

The two Cancer Research UK branches in London Road have benefited from the scheme for the past two years.

Almost 500 rooms at the halls of residence are being tidied after the end of the academic year - and a team of workers is uncovering a stash of items worth saving from the bin.

Michael Holder, a handyman at Brookes University, has organised the collections with help from fellow members of the union Unison.

The Unison publicity and recruitment officer, from Risinghurst, Oxford, said: "We get all sorts of things - lots of clothes and kitchen utensils and some electrical items.

"The range of clothes is really big.

"We get men's shirts, suits, trousers, jackets and lots of stuff for women.

"There are often designer labels.

"Sometimes the students just leave their clothes in the bin, so we have to make sure they are in a decent condition.

"We cannot give the shops dirty clothes because they do not have any washing facilities.

"We also have to make sure the glasses and containers are nice and clean."

He added: "A lot of the students have heard about what we are doing and have been bringing us bags of stuff, asking us to give it to charity.

"Some of the other stuff would otherwise be thrown out."