Bermuda's problem with beggars could be featured in an English local newspaper after Corporation of Hamilton Secretary Roger Sherratt said new tough measures were needed.

The Nottingham Evening Post approached Mr. Sherratt yesterday after The Royal Gazette reported that he had contacted Nottingham City Council to find out how it had imposed a ban on beggars from some streets.

Reporter Steven Shukor spoke to Mr. Sherratt and said while the City of Hamilton only had about four beggars to contend with, Nottingham had literally dozens.

But he said he was interested in writing a story about Bermuda's interest in possibly copying the lead of Nottingham's council.

However, on looking at the Nottingham Evening Post website last night, The Royal Gazette discovered that some doubt had been placed on whether or not the ban on beggars had worked for the English city.

The council's leader, Brian Parbutt, admitted that the ban had not got to grips with the issue and he feared Nottingham's image would suffer unless it was sorted out.

He said he went to Manchester for two days and was not approached by one beggar, but on his return to Nottingham, during a short walk, there were four panhandlers.

He said: "As a resident, I have no perception that the begging problem has got better, none at all."

And the Nottingham Evening Post did its own investigation into whether or not the ban had worked, and found that it had not.