Police are joining forces with the City Centre Partnership to rid Winchester of aggressive beggars.

As part of the campaign, police and retailers will be promoting the city's Diverted Giving scheme, under which three organisations, offering help, support and advice to homeless people, benefit from donations left in special collection boxes in shops

On Tuesday, the partnership handed over £1,000 each to the Salvation Army, the Night Shelter and the Trinity Centre after using the coin counting machine at Asda supermarket in Chandler's Ford to count all the cash put into the boxes.

The Diverted Giving Scheme has been operating in the city since 1998 and over £3,000 has been raised this year alone.

The crackdown is part of the constabulary's Safer Streets campaign and, over the summer, beat officers will target sites in and around the town centre that are frequented by beggars. Persistent offenders will be prosecuted.

Sergeant Steve French said: "We appreciate there is a concern for the plight of people less fortunate than ourselves but the people we are dealing with are sitting outside convenience stores and cashpoints begging for cash, usually to purchase drugs and alcohol.

"We often receive complaints from people who feel intimidated by beggars and, hopefully, by dealing positively with offenders, we can discourage them and make the public feel safer.

"To help us to achieve this aim, we would urge the public not to give money to beggars but to support the scheme, as this means that money can be raised to support local good causes and not individual's drink or drug habits."

Collection boxes are at the following locations: Tourist Information Centre, The Broadway; Debenhams, High Street; Marks and Spencer, High Street; The Brooks Shopping Centre, Middle Brook Street; Boots the Chemist, High Street; WH Smith, High Street; McDonald's, St George's Street; Mawson and Company, The Square.