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CUPS in hand and shivering, they can be a sight to melt the hardest heart.

Their placards read: “Homeless and hungry.”

But for others beggars are a scourge that need to be swept off the streets.

Yesterday, Aberdeen City Council sparked outrage by announcing they planned to make begging a criminal offence punishable by a fine or prison.

Their move followed a survey which showed that just one in four beggars in Scotland’s oil capital was homeless.

But yesterday the leader of welfare charity the Cyrenians said dragging beggars through the criminal justice system would be counter productive.

The city’s Labour-led coalition want to have a by-law outlawing begging in place by March.

They would be the first council to take the step. The Labour group’s Willie Young said: “People are telling us they want Union Street to be reinvigorated and the way to reinvigorate Union Street is to get beggars off the pavement.

“There should be no begging in this day and age. It’s a disgrace.”

But he said that while the council would put a roof over the heads of people who needed help, those begging to feed a drug habit would be breaking the law.

North-east Scotland SNP MSP Mark McDonald blasted the plans as “the sort of thing you expect to find in a Dickens novel.”

He said: “This by-law will punish the vulnerable for no fault of their own.”

The Cyrenians called for “compassion not coercion” to tackle the problem. They said begging was unacceptable as it was “dangerous, damaging and humiliating” to those who do it.

Boss Des Ryan said: “In creating by-laws that turn every person who begs into a criminal, we would be doing nothing to address the reasons which cause people to beg.

“A criminal record will make it harder for them to find work and housing. Giving them a fine they can’t pay intensifies the vicious circle.”

Ryan added: “We should be concerned anyone has reached such a low.”

In Glasgow, the council tried to bring in a by-law to move beggars on and put in writing the council’s obligation to help beggars move into proper housing. But they failed to win support from MSPs.

It’s believed there are 250 beggars in Glasgow, which has a city centre response team that can be used to move on anyone causing trouble.

Police can charge troublesome beggars under breach of the peace laws.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The city centre response team has made a significant difference to how the city centre is managed and that is combined with measures such as closing drinking dens and gating lanes.”

In Edinburgh, many argue the city’s reputation is being damaged by aggressive begging, with residents and visitors the target of abuse and harassment.

One hotel boss said Edinburgh had a worse situation than any other city he’d worked in, adding: “You don’t have the same problem in London, Paris, Brussels, Florence or Frankfurt.”

Dundee’s begging problem is confined to a small hard-core.

One resident said: “It is not a troublesome presence and they are well managed by city centre ambassadors.”

Dundee City Council said: “This approach is proving successful. The number of complaints received is small.”

The Scottish Government said: “We don’t support attempts to criminalise non-aggressive begging. A multi-agency approach is best so that underlying causes can be tackled.”

GLASGOW

WILLIAM CREAN had a flat and a good job as a chef but he found himself homeless after falling into a spiral of booze and drug addiction.

That’s why he begs every day on the streets of Glasgow.

He says a ban on begging would lead to soaring crime rates as people would be forced to steal to survive.

William, who has lived on the streets of Glasgow for eight years, said: “If that did happen you would see a lot more shoplifting.

“People would become so desperate, they would roam the city centre looking for people with mobiles or cameras to rob. It’s definitely not the way forward.”

William, 47, spends six hours begging a day, making £15-£17.

He married at 16, and has three grown-up children, none of whom he has seen for years.

He said: “When you are skippering (Sleeping rough) you are scared to go to sleep in case someone attacks you or tries to steal from you.”

Any cash William does get he spends on booze or drugs.

But he says there is no one to blame for his situation apart from himself.

ABERDEEN

ROBERT HARGREAVES, 67, has been forced on to the streets to beg, despite having a home.

Rising gas and electricity costs have left him struggling to heat his one-bedroom council flat and pay other bills.

Every two weeks, he is given a food package by the Instant Neighbour and Salvation Army charities to help him survive.

Former oil industry worker Robert said he had been begging for the past four months because he had no other option to heat his home.

He said: “I am not homeless – I’ve got a home.

“The cost of gas and electricity means my pension doesn’t go very far. That’s why I am here. Pensions and dole money should rise with inflation – that would stop us having to beg.

“What can we do? We have to do this to get extra money.”

Robert is not the only OAP begging on Union Street, the city’s busiest shopping street.

He has come across dozens of other pensioners in the same situation, including a man who goes out begging with his dog.

Robert said: “I hate begging but I’ve got to do it to keep myself warm.”

He added: “It will be a struggle if they ban begging in the city.

“The councillors should come out for a few hours and sit in the cold and see what it’s like.”

EDINBURGH

REGULAR beggar Charlie Lyon, originally from Hamilton, was at his usual pitch in the west end of Princes Street.

A one-time train engineer and pub worker, the 56-year-old has been asking strangers for cash on and off for 30 years.

He first took to the streets after being unable to pick up his dole money.

He said: “If I go into a Jobcentre now, I know that as soon as they hear my age, then nobody is going to want to employ me.”

He says sticking to his usual begging patch is key to making enough to keep his head above water.

“I have been begging since I was in my twenties. People get to know you and if you start moving about, then you stand to lose a lot.”

Edinburgh has no by-law related to begging and aggressive begging is covered by laws such as breach of the peace.

Councillor Cammy Day, community safety leader, said: “Complaints regarding begging in the city are low. The police and our community safety officers use existing powers as and when necessary to deal with any incidents of aggressive begging.

“The council and police, along with the health and voluntary sectors, work together to ensure the city remains a safe place to live and visit. This commitment is reinforced by surveys which show Edinburgh is one of the best places in the world to visit.”