Street beggars were moved on 700 times in just one month in High Wycombe town centre.

HWBIDCo, the business improvement organisation, hired a new town ranger to patrol the streets in a bid to discourage antisocial behaviour.

In December - his first month in the job - he recorded 700 incidents of beggars being moved out of the town centre.

Melanie Williams, HWBIDCo’s new manager, said they do not want to be seen as a “soft touch” by those drinking and being antisocial.

It comes after a number of complaints about bad behaviour in and around Frogmoor and the High Street - including that “aggressive” beggars are pocketing up to £90 a day.

However Cllr Khalil Ahmed raised concerns that moving beggars on is just moving the problem elsewhere.

Ms Williams said: “It is a case of dispersal – but protecting the town centre and the town centre businesses has to be a priority otherwise they will go under.

“We do have to disperse but it doesn’t solve the problem. There is a lot more to do but businesses are worth protecting.”