Charity continued to contact the individual despite repeated requests to desist

Age UK broke the fundraising code, England’s Fundraising Regulator has ruled.

The charity continued to send collection bags to an address despite being requested to stop.

The regulator found that the charity’s chosen distributor, The National Door to Door Company, delivered collection bags four times to a house that had asked specifically for them to cease.

An investigation found both the distribution company and the charity failed to deal with the complaint properly.

Nick Smith, head of retail at Age UK, said the charity had ceased ties with the company.

“We are very sorry about the experience this complainant has had, and have apologised to them for the errors made and for the frustration they have faced,” he said.

He added: “We accept the decision by the Fundraising Regulator and have reviewed their recommendations to ensure that this does not happen again.”

The regulator ruled that the agency had breached the requirements of the code by delivering to a house where there was a sign making it clear the residents did not wish to donate in this way.

The regulator said: “We found that the charity failed to respond to the concerns raised appropriately, as it issued the complainant with four similar responses, none of which acknowledged the failings in its process.”

However, by removing the estate from its lists, it said the agency had demonstrated that it had learned from the complaint and taken steps to prevent future errors.

The regulator governs fundraising in England Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own watchdog, the Scottish Fundraising Standards Panel.