by political editor Paul Francis

A Kent MP has urged the government to get tough on bogus charity bag collections.

Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch (Con) said the authorities were too lax when it came to cracking down on what had become a nationwide organised crime, depriving charities of much-needed donations.

Ms Crouch said the problems were becoming more acute and that the public was often confused over whether a company making doorstep collections on behalf of a charity was genuine. She also said the police failed to treat it as a high priority and often failed to work together across borders.

Speaking in a debate on the issue in the House of Commons today, she said only one in 10,000 illegal clothes collections was subject to enforcement. She had become aware of problems in her own constituency, with bogus collectors becoming more active.

"The level of enforcement [against bogus collectors] is laughable and collectors continue to act with impunity. A better licensing system is one aspect. I think the charity industry should establish a register of door-to-door collectors to give donors trustworthy information."

The MP said flyers and leaflets which bogus collectors distributed often had the appearance of being authentic.

"Leaflets look genuine and you would never think they were anything but. What has become clear is that what is happening in Chatham is happening up and down the country on a daily basis. Unless the issue is treated seriously, it will continue."

Responding for the government, minister Nick Hurd said he would examine what could be done: "It is clear that we do have a problem here. We all know how the problem has grown. There is some serious money to be made. The more I look at it, the more difficult it is to see a quick fix. This is much more about enforcement and education rather than regulation."