A YORK police officer who spent four years tirelessly tracking down a couple who ran a bogus charity collection scam has warned that cheats are still working the city's streets.

The persistence of PC Neville King brought Mark and Philippa Phillips, formerly of Doncaster, to justice after he collected evidence of their fraudulent collections for "Fundraisers UK" in York and across the North East.

But only two months after Mark Philips was jailed for nine months and his wife given a community punishment at York Crown Court, PC King has warned that others are following in their deceitful footsteps.

PC King said that warm summer days and busy shopping days attract all kinds of charity cheats to York, and that at least one person is falsely claiming money for charity somewhere in the city every week.

He said: "I have dealt with a great deal of suspicious collectors, from people selling magazines to joke books. They can make hundreds of pounds in a day.

"As a result of these activities money is drained from genuine charities, and instead goes into the pockets of criminals who quite often make a good living out of it.

"People may think this money is going to children or some other good cause, but in the case of the Phillips, not one penny went to a child in need."

PC King is asking givers to make a series of simple checks, including checking the charity's name is clearly displayed and that the tin is securely sealed, before handing over cash.

He said: "If it is not a charity you recognise then make sure that the tins are secure and clearly display what charity the money is going to. If in doubt, ask questions."

Robin Rawson, licensing manager for City of York Council, said officers were on the streets "almost every day" checking street collectors.

He said that people should ask a collector for their permit if they have suspicions, or call the council to report possible fraudulent activity on 01904 613161.

Charity workers must obtain a permit from the council which sets down guidelines for street collections. Collectors must use sealed and numbered boxes with the beneficiary clearly displayed.

No payment should be made from that money to anyone connected with collecting it. Within one month charity collectors must send the council documentary evidence of how much was raised and where it went.

Sarah Birks, of York Against Cancer, said: "It's really important that the work of bona fide charity collectors is not hampered by people fraudulently collecting, as collecting is vital to our fundraising."

Updated: 10:47 Wednesday, June 23, 2004