When a Shrewsbury Haulage company decided to raise a bit of money for charity, it thought a swear box would be the ideal way to do it.

With truckers not known for their polite language, bosses expected the pounds to roll in.

But one year later Loosemores Transport Ltd, based at Battlefield, has managed to collect only £1.77 plus one euro 57 cents from an Irish customer from their virtuous workers and customers.

Company secretary Frieda Stokes said that during a 12-month period the company gives to several charities and offers the use of its transport fleet free of charge to carnivals in and around Shrewsbury.

She asked: “Please tell us, is any transport company or skip hire company this virtuous?

“We have just emptied our swear box after 12 months and find we have collected £1.77 plus one euro 57 cents from an Irish customer who visited as once – say no more!” she said.

James Fullwood, operations manager at the company which provides national road haulage, tipper hire, earth moving and waste disposal, said there were about 30 workers at the firm.

He said: “We put in the swear box because drivers are not always the most eloquently spoken people and we thought we could raise some money for charity.

“We give money to several charities in the year and help out where we can. We thought the swear box would give us a bit extra. People have toned it down since they saw the swear box in reception.

“They are not too bad nowadays,” Mr Fullwood said. “Every time we heard them swear we used to say ‘swear box’ but I have not had to say that for a few months.

“It wasn’t the aim to get them not to swear but to raise some money. We have customers come in who could put money in the box too because it’s in reception.”

Mr Fullwood said he was not sure which charity would receive the grand total of £1.77.

He added: “The workers think it’s a bit of a laugh. I don’t want to encourage them to put more in because then they will have to swear more and I don’t want them to do that.

“We might have to come up with another way to raise money. As a company we donate lots to other charities – not always in monetary terms but helping people to raise money.”

To contact the firm call (01743) 443156.