Second-hand clothing mountain piles up as Brexit halts exports to EU

Deliveries of items given to charities for sale on the continent have fallen foul of rules of origin requirements

A mountain of used goods is building up in the north-east of England as one of the biggest exporters of second-hand clothing to the EU has suffered a breakdown in trade caused by Brexit.

Since January, exports to the EU from ECS Textiles in North Shields have ground to a halt due to border delays, piles of paperwork and confusion over post-Brexit rules, costing charities thousands of pounds in lost donations each week.