Police in one of England's smallest cities have urged people not to give beggars their money, insisting none of them are genuinely homeless.

Officers in Ely, Cambridgeshire, said those who claimed to be sleeping rough were actually fraudsters who were making "substantial amounts of money".

They warned that kind hearted and well meaning people were in danger of being misled and said if they wanted to offer beggars something it should be food or a hot drink, rather than cash.

But the comments have been criticised by some local residents who have insisted there are homeless people living in the city.

The comments came as Cambridgeshire Police responded to reports of a large increase in begging in Ely, which has a population of around 20,000.