Drifters and down-and-outs have been washing up on the streets of Brighton for decades.

But the ancient art of panhandling money from passers-by is taking a violent new twist.

Beggars are no longer meekly requesting spare change for a cup of tea. Most are drug addicts desperate for their next fix and not afraid to lend an undertone of menace to their demands.

Research has shown the city's image is suffering.

Shoppers, office workers, traders and tourists are tiring of the frequent demands for cash as they go about the streets.

Certain begging hotspots are in danger of becoming no-go zones at night.

Now, once again, the city council is proposing action and promising to get tough.

Members of its community safety forum were today presented with a report which lays out the scale of the issue in stark terms.

It says: "During the past year there has been a distinct change to a more aggressive style of begging linked to funding the use of Class A drugs.

"Levels of public tolerance have further declined and fear of crime has increased."

The problem may not be new but a solution remains elusive.

While they are few in number - about 50 regular beggars have been identified - they have complex needs.

Mental health issues and drug addiction are common. Many have traumatic pasts and criminal records.

And for every beggar brought up from the streets and given hope for the future, another will arrive.

But many are not genuinely homeless and the council report is unequivocal in saying the majority of law-abiding residents are what matters.

It says: "Shoppers and office workers during the day find the presence of beggars invasive and threatening, particularly at cashpoints and pay machines.

"For night-time leisure and entertainments users, the impact is more intimidating, making the public feel considerably less safe."

Council officials now believe begging is a serious threat to Brighton and Hove's image as a vibrant and progressive city.

They have set a target of reducing street begging by 60 per cent by next March.

Yet many years of ideas, initiatives and schemes have singularly failed.

Four years ago, then Cabinet minister Mo Mowlam and Government homelessness tsar Louise Casey launched the Begging For Change project, encouraging people to put money in 16 fixed collection boxes instead of giving it to beggars.

The scheme, being relaunched at the end of the summer, was not widely supported and regarded as a failure.

Research suggests begging is an extremely hazardous occupation which puts its participants in danger of physical violence.

But it can be a lucrative business.

Police believe beggars in Brighton and Hove can earn about £50 a day, although some make up to £250.

Ninety per cent use the money to feed drug addictions.

Most are not homeless but live in hostels or night shelters. Heroin is cited as the most common drug but others are addicted to crack cocaine.

Experience has shown that trying to sweep these people from the streets is ineffectual unless something is done about the extreme poverty and drug addiction that brought them there in the first place.

Brighton and Hove hopes its latest strategy will succeed.

The one-size-fits-all approach is being abandoned for something more akin to an iron fist in a velvet glove.

The aim is to get to know every beggar - their name, address, medical records, criminal history and what they need to get themselves off the streets.

When this is established, measures can be put in place to help steer them back to normal lives.

If such guidance fails to change a pattern of criminal behaviour there is the possibility of legal action and ultimately prison.

Since the strategy was first put into action in November last year, more than two-thirds of the city's 37 identified beggars have stopped asking people for money.

The plan is to continue this trend and clear the streets. Until the next wave arrives...