The appeal comes from Shelter Scotland which estimates there is around £42 million worth of unworn clothing hiding away in wardrobes in West Dunbartonshire.

The national homelessness charity, which has a shop at Sylvania Way South, says the average household in West Dunbartonshire has up to £1,000 worth of clothes that have not been worn for at least a year.

The charity wants locals to rummage through wardrobes, drawers, cupboards and attics and donate any unwanted items to their Clydebank shop to help them in the fight against homelessness.

Graeme Brown, director of Shelter Scotland, said: “It costs just £10 for one of our expert advisors to help a family or individual at risk of losing their home – we can raise that money by selling an unwanted jumper or pair shoes. £45 “We hope that the people of West Dunbartonshire will continue to support us, because without their help and generosity our fight to end bad housing and homelessness would be so much harder.” Last year in West Dunbartonshire there were 998 households assessed as homeless, whilst a further 3,197 are currently on waiting lists for a home.

MORE donations of food and toiletries are needed to support vulnerable families in Drumchapel.

Workers at Drumchapel Food Bank have called for continued support this month as they aim to tackle rising demand for food and support services.

It comes two weeks after the food bank made an emergency plea for donations when it completely ran out of food.

Oonagh Brown, Drumchapel Food Bank development worker, thanked people for their recent generosity, explaining the collection box at Drumchapel’s Sainsbury’s had been filled since that initial call.

But she added: “We are still running low on a lot of items such as tinned potatoes, tins of custard and rice pudding, toiletries such as tooth paste and shampoo. We really rely on a steady stream of donations. We are really grateful for all donations.” The food bank, which saw an unprecedented demand for support in January, has also called for donations of plastic bags to allow people to carry their donations home.

Food and bags can be donated at the collection point at Sainsbury’s Drumchapel or at the KCEDG (Kingsridge Cleddans Economic Development Group) office at Unit 9, Ladyloan Place, Drumchapel, G15 8LB.