A traffic island beggar who was purporting to be homeless and wanted donations of cigarettes has had his sign seized by police.

The man was sat on a traffic island with a sign that claimed he was homeless, but police confirmed he "is not homeless."

This is the third time in the last few weeks that a beggar has been found not to be homeless, with one man receiving a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) last month for aggressive begging.

Officers have taken the traffic island beggar's sign and the man has now been summoned to court.

The beggar's message was written on a crumpled piece of cardboard.

It read: "Hi, I'm homeless, could anyone help with donations of food, cigs, or money please? Thank you!"