The number of people sleeping rough in Oxford is exceeding levels in other cities as word spreads of the excellent service here, according to an expert.

A local worker for the homeless claimed other cities actually advise homeless people to go to Oxford where they will find medical care, night shelters and won't be constantly moved on by the police.

But the rising problem of beggars in the city centre has led a senior police officer to state that he will get tough on 'conmen beggars' who have their own house and car, yet spend all day begging.

The latest figures from the Government's Rough Sleepers Unit showed that 24 people were living on the city's streets in June.

Oxford's rough sleepers officer, Stephen Merauld, said the real figure is probably higher as word-of-mouth spreads about Oxford's good services.

He said: "We had to do a recount. The second time, the figure was actually higher -- there were 27 on the streets."

It puts Oxford ahead of bigger cities, including Manchester with 17 and Birmingham with 19. Oxford's current population is 147,500, compared with Manchester's 431,000 and Birmingham's 1,013,200.

Mr Merauld, based at Simon House hostel in Paradise Street, said Oxford's policy of taking the issue seriously and providing better facilities for the homeless, has encouraged more people to come here.

He said other towns and cities in the region, such as Swindon, Aylesbury, and Reading, failed to acknowledge the problem, with their night shelters shutting down. Banbury's night shelter closed last year, adding to Oxford's influx of rough sleepers.

Workers at Oxford's Luther Street night shelter are currently about to make the centre a place where people can drink during the day to try to keep drinkers off the city streets.

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