Donations to charity have fallen by up to half this Christmas, and some charities are receiving hate mail and phone calls, because of the “scandal” over salary top -ups at the Central Remedial Clinic.

That is according to Pete Ireton founder of one of Ireland’s most successful charities, the livestock aid organisation Bóthar.

While collecting money was getting more and more difficult over the last few years, Mr Ireton said Bóthar’s fundraising had in recent weeks fallen by half. He said he was aware other charities has suffered the same decline.

Mr Ireton said what had happened at the CRC, the use of funds raised for the charity to pay salary top ups to staff, was a “disgrace” and a “scandal”. He said since news of the payments to CRC staff had broken in the media, staff at Bóthar had suffered hate mail and phone calls from members of the public saying they were not going to pay salary top-ups.

Mr Ireton told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Bóthar relied almost entirely on funding with “small” grants from State body Irish Aid going “one hundred per cent to the field”.

He urged regular donors to contact the charities they supported and ask for information on where the money goes.

“The CRC disgrace is tarring us all with the same brush” he said.