Arresting beggars has become a "last resort", the police say, as new figures show that prosecutions have fallen by 40 per cent in two years.

Figures obtained following a Freedom of Information request show that the number of cases brought to court under the Vagrancy Act has fallen from 3,071 in 2014/15 to 1,810 in 2016/17.

The offence can be punished with a fine of up to £1,000, and the data suggests that many forces have decided to move away from issuing punitive fines which homeless people cannot afford to pay.

Previous data shows that the number of arrests increased by more than 1,000 from 1,626 in 2012-13 to 2,771 in 2013-14.

Police forces have been criticised in the past for policies such as using plain-clothes officers to spy on homeless people and arrest them if they ask passers-by for money.

The new figures suggest that forces have moved away from this approach. Charities said their work showed that fines were ineffective and arresting beggars did not solve the problem.