BUYING coloured rubber wristbands to help good causes must have seemed like a marketing breakthrough to hard-pressed charities.

The idea itself is simple enough and took off fast especially as different colours began to be instantly recognised by the public as representing different charities.

Yellow wristbands mean Livestrong and raising money for cancer charities, pink for Breast Cancer Care, white for anti-poverty campaigners Oxfam and so on.

And as famous people have been seen wearing different coloured bands so their popularity has increased.

But sadly in this world there will always be unscrupulous foreign manufacturers who will tap into the public's desire to give money to worthwhile causes for their own benefit.

Reputable charities have long been aware of the need to take steps to ensure that as much cash as possible collected in their name does actually reach them.

Today we hear that almost 300 different coloured wristbands have been seized in Blackburn because of suspicions that they may be copies of the real thing imported from China.

If you want to ensure that you are genuinely donating to charities you should buy only from official sources like websites, shops or individuals who are clearly authorised to collect

on their behalf.