Wolverhampton chuggers limited to three days each week

Charity fundraisers in Wolverhampton will only be allowed in the city centre on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it emerged today.

An agreement has been drawn up by council bosses with the body that regulates the "charity muggers" or "chuggers". They will only be allowed in Dudley Street on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Victoria Street on Wednesdays.

The plans are due to approved by the ruling Labour cabinet of the city council next week.

Wolverhampton City Council leader Councillor Roger Lawrence said: "It was important to us to achieve a voluntary arrangement and that is what we have done.

"The fundraisers have already begun to limit their activities."

The law allows charity fundraisers to operate wherever they want because they are not collecting cash. Instead they ask people to sign up to regular payments and collect names, addresses and signatures.

The city council could have used a byelaw on touting to clamp down on the chuggers but it would have cost taxpayers money to prosecute them.

The agreement has been drawn up by the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association and the city council.

Last year Wolverhampton South West MP Paul Uppal's survey found that shoppers felt they were running a "gauntlet" of chuggers.

Now no more than five will be allowed in either street at any time and they must be spaced out.

They are allowed anywhere in Dudley Street but no more than two at the junction with Queen Street and in Victoria Street they can operate between Queen Square and Skinner Street.

The arrangement will be reviewed after six months.

Below is a list of the rules that charity fundraisers must obey in Wolverhampton.

* There can only be five in Dudley Street at any one time.

* Dudley Street can only be used Mondays and Tuesdays.

* There can only be five in Victoria Street at any one time.

* Victoria Street can only be used on Wednesdays.

* Fundraisers are not allowed to be closer than three metres (9ft 10in) to each other or other street fundraisers, such as Big Issue sellers or buskers.

* They also cannot stand within six metres (19ft 8in) of any market traders or stalls.

* They cannot go within one metre (3ft 3in) of a shop entrance.

* Fundraisers must wear official tabards or other official distinctive clothing.

* They must wear official identity cards.

* Fundraising is only permitted between 9am and 7pm.