New limits on West Bromwich chuggers
The number of street charity collectors in West Bromwich will be limited to five at any one time and just three days a week to stop them putting off shoppers, it emerged today.
The clipboard-wielding fundraisers, who have been nicknamed charity muggers or "chuggers", have been the subject of complaints from shoppers walking down High Street.
Residents have said that they feel harassed by the charity collectors.
Sandwell Council has now drawn up rules that fundraisers will be asked to stick to in a bid to enable people to go about their shopping in peace.
Under the arrangement, charities will agree to only raise funds on the pedestrianised area of High Street but to stay away from the area between the entrances to Queens Square and Kings Square shopping centres.
No more than five collectors can operate at one time and only one charity can be represented on any one day to prevent shoppers from running a gauntlet of collectors, which could drive them away from the town centre.
The fundraisers must also stand well apart from each other and there must not be more than three working either side of the shopping centre entrances. Fundraising can only take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9am and 7pm.
It comes after similar schemes were introduced in Wolverhampton and Dudley following negotiations between councils and the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association.
Chuggers cannot be banned from the streets by law because they are only collecting signatures and bank details, not actual cash.
Town centre manager for West Bromwich Gerrie Ritchie confirmed that complaints concerning the aggressive nature of some fundraisers had been made, while police also backed the plans.
Sandwell councillor Ian Jones said: "We are trying to give every charity a level playing field. There are an awful lot of charities and we can risk swamping an area with collectors for valuable causes. By introducing a scheme we can make it fair for everyone, and of course protect shoppers."
