Three Keighley community groups have been given free dishwashers by supplier Meiko UK.

The donations have benefited Riddlesden and Keighley Central Explorer Scouts, Your Sporting Chance and Central Hall.

The equipment became available when one of Meiko UK's major customers decided to upgrade all the machines in its high-street pub chain.

Many of the dishwashers being replaced were less than three years old so Meiko decided to put them to good use instead of selling them second-hand.

The company has given 130 such machines to charities, installing them and offering to service and maintain them for the first year.

Meiko has also provided enough detergent to last for six months in the commercial dishwashers.

Explorer Scouts press officer Daniel Mosby said members were now free of their least favourite job.

He said: “The dishwasher saw its first use in July at a barbecue to reward volunteers for helping on our jubilee garden.”

Central Hall, a community centre in Alice Street, is using its dishwasher in its cafe. Manager Tracey Thomas said: “Our customers benefit because it helps us keep our prices as low as possible.”

Your Sporting Chance, which provides sports-related activities to keep youngsters out of trouble, received a dishwasher for its kitchen at Cougar Park.

Project manager Mary Calvert said: “Our kitchen was refurbished by three local organisations so that we can provide training and ‘cook and eat’ sessions for our clients.”

Meiko UK managing director Bill Downie said the company was run as a foundation and believed in social responsibility, investing a proportion of profits into local communities.

He said: “Our staff can hardly believe the success of our charitable give-away, with more than 130 refurbished ECO530 dishwashers supplied to a wide and varied selection of organisations that feed the needy, the homeless and the aged as well as good causes and churches throughout the country.”