A FED up resident has spoken out against charity canvassers in High Wycombe town centre complaining of “running the gauntlet” during her lunch break.

Alison Ludlow, 53, from Prestwood said she feels “harassed” when she walks through the High Street by charity fundraisers.

She wrote a letter of complaint to the British Red Cross after finding one of their fundraisers “insistent” and “rude”. They responded with a letter of apology.

Mrs Ludlow said: “If I want to be bothered I will approach them. On this particular occasion the man was quite insistent and actually very rude.

“I made a point I didn't want to be disturbed, as my dog had just been put down, and put my head down and took evasive action. I told him 'Today isn't a good day' and he shouted, 'When will it be a good day?'”

She said she now walks along Castle Street to avoid the canvassers.

Mrs Ludlow, who works along London Road, added: “I think they basically need to respect people's space. If I want to engage I will do.”

A British Red Cross spokesman said face-to-face fundraising is one of the most cost-effective ways to recruit direct donors and in 2009 it raised £20 million for the charity, which helped people in crisis in the UK and overseas.

It is a member of the Professional Fundraising Regulatory Association and all fundraisers follow the Institute of Fundraising’s code of practice and receive intensive training.

They added: “We are very sorry that your reader had a bad experience. We  have a number of policies in place to help protect potentially vulnerable people and to ensure that no undue pressure is put on members of the public. We take all complaints or reports of concern very seriously and investigate them thoroughly."