A HAREFIELD shop which accidentally ordered dozens of boxes of pork pies is trying to turn its problem into a charity fundraiser.

Londis, in Moorhall Road, Harefield, received masses of unwanted pies, which have now gone out of date.

Next Saturday (18/6), the store will place the pies in a number of bags, and encourage shoppers to take part in a raffle to guess how many pies are inside. The winner will be able to choose a charity of their choice to give all the money that is raised to.

Atul Sodha, store owner, said: "I am trying to turn a negative into a positive, I didn't want to throw them in the bin without doing something first. You have no idea how many pies turned up, and it was all down to a clerical error at the ordering company. We managed to sell off quite a few, but they have gone out of date now. I am not sure whether animals can eat them, I just don't know, but if somebody wanted to take them off my hands they can get in touch."

Liz Sheppee, branch operations manager at Hillingdon's RSPCA, said: "Most animals in rescue centres are on quite strict dietary plans, and feeding them pork pies wouldn't be something we would recommend for our animals, it could risk causing more problems."

Meanwhile the store has been forced to take a loss after its 'save our cashpoint' campaign failed to meet targets set by the operators.

Last September MP Nick Hurd launched a campaign to save the machine, which was at the time the only free 24 hour one in the village.

Cashzone, the operators, had set a target of the machine reaching 5,000 transactions per month, or it would not be cost-efficient and even faced removal. After the village was hit by the National Grid gas works last Autumn the campaign suffered, even though it 'pretty much' reached the desired targets.

Earlier this year store owner Mr Sodha was faced with a choice of taking a loss or having the machine removed entirely, and chose to take the loss.

"I've lost all the commission I earned out of it, but it wasn't about that, it was about keeping the vital service for the village, and I would rather people had it than not. It was good of the community to support the campaign and I feel to an end we have proved a point because we pretty much reached the figures we were originally set."

Since the campaign, a second 24 hour free cashpoint has been installed at the other end of the village, at the Post Office in Northwood Way, Harefield.