Persistent beggars have been arrested

Leeds City Council said that a year after finding 62 people begging in the city centre in one day, another count had found just four.

This follows moves to arrest persistent beggars and bogus Big Issue sellers.

At the same time the public has been encouraged to help the homeless by putting money in donation boxes rather than giving to people on the streets.

Supporting the vulnerable

The money is then used for local projects to support the homeless.

Coun Keith Wakefield, the leader of Leeds City Council, said: "Most beggars are drug addicts who exploit people's compassion to fund their habits.

"The drop in the numbers of recorded beggars is welcome since it shows our two-pronged approach of tackling begging while supporting the vulnerable is working."

Det Insp Richard James said that almost all the beggars arrested tested positive for heroin or crack cocaine.