Beggars not all the same

Well '˜Ding Dong Merrily On High', some folk in South Shields have gone and got their knickers in a twist.

They are misinterpreting Public Protection Orders brought in by South Tyneside Council in their bid to clamp down on professional begging and street drinking thinking £100 fines also apply to anyone giving a genuine beggar money or a Greggs pasty.

Anyway just the other day I heard of a well-intentioned soul who gave a homeless person a quid only to see the same guy two hours later boarding a Metro with a canvas bag over his shoulder while talking on his mobile phone.

Ken Johnson