Update: Fining beggars in Crawley '˜not the right way forward', says homeless shelter boss

She made the comments after Crawley Borough Council’s Tory opposition leader said it should consider introducing on-the-spot fines for street drinkers and aggressive beggars.

Director of Crawley Open House Charlie Arratoon said: “I don’t think fixed penalty notices are the right way forward but enforcement is.

“People can do things discretely, they don’t need to be walking around the streets with open vessels of alcohol, it’s quite intimidating.”

She added the number of street beggars in town had been reduced greatly compared to before Christmas.

She said: “That’s been joint working with different agencies in town.”

Cllr Duncan Crow (Con, Furnace Green) sid the fines ‘should be looked at’ by the council after they were introduced in Worthing.

He said: “We should look at all options to deal with begging including public space protection orders.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution but the ability to issue fines could have the potential to help reduce the amount of begging, alongside other efforts such as encouraging people to donate to homeless charities rather than give to people begging.”

Cllr Peter Lamb (Lab Northgate), leader of the council, said: “I’d need to talk with local homelessness charities and look into the detail of the policy before commenting.”

* Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1) Make our website your homepage at www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

2) Like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/crawleyobserver

3) Follow us on Twitter @Crawley_Obby

4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!

The Crawley Observer - always the first with your local news.

Be part of it.