‘Begging tourists’ rake in the equivalent of £35k-a-year by target quiet market town in Devon
Well-to-do Totnes in Devon is a hive of fake homeless who hound passers-by for cash
A QUIET market town is being targeted by “begging tourists” raking in the equivalent of £35,000 a year.
Well-to-do Totnes in Devon has become a magnet for drug addicts and the fake homeless who hound passers-by for cash.
Until now, local police have taken a relaxed approach because of “the very low-level, friendly, passive begging style”. But they claim this has encouraged others to come to Totnes.
Mayor Rosie Adams said: “We have begging tourists. They are coming in from other places and spoiling it for locals.”
In a Facebook post, police said beggars collect between £50 and £100 a day, equal to £35,000 a year.
Now cops are to abandon their softly-softly approach. They wrote: “We have received reports of shoppers being aggressively harassed for money, followed up the road, abused, threatened and intimidated at cash points.
"A lot of beggars in Totnes battle with some form of addiction. Also, many may appear homeless. They are not.”
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