TEST Valley Borough Council wants more controls to restrict the actions of so-called “chuggers”.

A motion will be heard at a council meeting on Wednesday (July 4) proposing that the local authority writes to government requesting appropriate controls on the activities of chuggers – charity muggers.

These people ask potential donors to donate through a standing order or direct debit, which the council said some people could find intrusive and could border on harassment in some cases.

Council leader, Ian Carr, said: “The council recognises how important street collections are for raising funds for charities.

“The majority of fund-raisers are great ambassadors for their charities, but, unfortunately, a small minority are making a nuisance of themselves.”

He said because they collect bank detail,s rather than cash, chuggers do not have to abide by the same rules as volunteers with charity collection tins.

“The council operates a voluntary scheme for street collections to try to avoid collection dates coinciding, but what we need is a way to ensure that charities can prosper without residents and shoppers being unduly harassed,” added Mr Carr.

“Anyone who does want to sign up to a charity should ensure their representative has some authentic, current identification and should take particular care if required to give their bank details verbally”.