A LEADING York retailer has called for action over what he says is the city's spiralling problem with beggars.

Simon Williams, chairman of Retailers Against Crime in York, has revealed he is receiving growing numbers of complaints from retailers who say they are being harassed by beggars who plague customers and tourists.

Mr Williams claims retailers and shoppers are becoming increasingly concerned about large number of beggars who intimidate passers-by for cash.

He believes they are driving people away from York, and giving the city a bad name.

Last month, the Evening Press reported how police were taking steps to clear the streets of people who regularly beg within the city walls.

Since then, plain-clothes officers have been patrolling the city streets to identify, and if necessary arrest, people found begging.

Mr Williams has welcomed police action to curb the begging problem. But he said something more had to be done to make shopping a hassle-free experience for retailers and customers.

"Retailers who have come to me are telling me that beggars are becoming increasingly more aggressive," he said.

"There seems to be an abundance of them at the moment in York.

"They are getting abusive to people who try to move them on. It is not giving a good impression of York.

"You can't walk down a street without being hassled by these people. I know there is a terrible problem down Stonegate.

"I think there needs to be more awareness of the problem, especially when there are big groups.

"There is nothing more intimidating for people walking into town than facing a large group. Maybe there needs to be a by-law dealing with begging. This is becoming a serious concern."

Sergeant Shaun Thompson, of York Police, who is co-ordinating the campaign to crack down on beggars, asked shopkeepers to let officers know when they had problems.

He said: "We are taking part in an ongoing campaign to deal with this issue.

"We would appeal to shopkeepers to ring us and let us know if, and when, they have any problems.

"We can take action if we are properly informed."

Updated: 11:15 Wednesday, February 20, 2002