A CONTACTLESS phone app is being produced to allow people to give money to Colchester’s rough sleepers without handing over cash to people begging in the streets.

Colchester Council is working on the project which would see rough sleepers themselves consulted over which charities and services would receive money which was pledged.

Community safety and initiatives manager Melanie Rundle said: “We want to be really careful because we don’t want to tell the public where they should give their money.

“We want to engage with the public and service users who are engaging rather than dictate where the money should go.

“It is something we will be

working on in the coming months.”

Council bosses are also working with off-licences to prevent booze being sold to notorious street drinkers and can ask them not to sell to individuals made the subject of certain levels of enforcement.

Ms Rundle also explained zone wardens are instructed to wait for half an hour before they remove things like sleeping bags and blankets left in the street.

She said: “A rough sleeper may need to go and access toilet facilities or hot food.

“What we have found is that some of them who are away longer than 30 minutes may leave the belongings there, go elsewhere and be involved in criminal activities.”