Meet the London Street beggar who earns up to £500 a day and has a house

A street beggar is raking in up to £500 a day targeting shoppers and commuters by pretending to be homeless despite apparently living in a 'reasonable property'.The man, who has not been named, has been begging for money in Wolverhampton city centre, in the West Midlands, and is said to be earning the equivalent of £2,500 a week.

His takings amount to a pre-tax annual income of around £130,000 - only £12,000 less than Prime Minister David Cameron's yearly wage.

Steve Evans, Wolverhampton's environment boss and a Labour councillor, said the man is known to live in a 'reasonable property' but targets shoppers by pretending to be homeless.

He said: 

'The information regarding the individual making up to £500 a day came from a fellow council officer.

'We knew he wasn't homeless as he was registered to an address and lived in quite a reasonable property actually. Yet he would be seen in the middle of the city centre at busy times of the day and happy to sit there all day long.

'He might travel between different cities and towns as well and he was making a tidy sum, much more than you and I.

'It is shame that where people have a genuine need of help you have a few individuals who are taking advantage of people's generosity.

'I don't think it's acceptable.'

He claims conmen have been targeting kind-hearted people in the city, where workers boast an average wage of around £20,000.

He said many beggars are 'by and large' not homeless and just want money for alcohol.

He added: 'Begging still exists and I don't think anyone appreciates coming into the city centre and doing shopping and being approached by someone asking for money.

'You know it is someone that by and large isn't homeless, but is trying to get some money to have an alcoholic drink and I believe we have got some professional beggars.

'We have got some information that one man was making between £300 to £500 a day and wasn't homeless at all.

'Some of them need help but others just want the money for a drink.'

Mr Evans said he is now looking to work with the authorities in a bid to take those who are scamming members of the public to court.

Source; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3469777/Beggar-earns-500-day-despite-not-homeless-s-equivalent-pre-tax-wage-130-000-just-12-000-David-Cameron-earns.html