Council's 'offensive' anti-begging posters banned by watchdog

Anti-begging adverts put up by a council have been banned by the advertising authority for reinforcing negative stereotypes.

The posters included one showing a homeless man in a sleeping bag with the warning: “Watch your money go to a fraud. Beggars aren’t what they seem.”

Another of the posters, which were put up in May and June this year, showed a person smoking a roll-up cigarette and said: "Begging: Watch your money go up in smoke. Begging funds the misuse of drugs £ givesmart.”

Two more posters said begging "funds the misuse of alcohol" and: "It's your choice: give money to someone begging and feed a harmful addiction ... or give to a charity which provides treatment and support."

The Advertising Standards Agency has now banned the Nottingham City Council adverts for being likely to cause widespread offence.

It said the ads "portrayed all beggars as disingenuous and undeserving individuals that would use direct donations for irresponsible means".

Seven people complained that the ads portrayed homeless people in a derogatory manner and implied that all homeless people were engaged in criminal and anti-social behaviour.

But the council said the posters were not about homelessness but aimed to discourage the public from giving money to people who begged - almost none of whom were homeless - as it was likely that the money would fund drug or alcohol addictions.

The council said the campaign was developed in response to the public's view that begging was becoming an increasing problem locally.