Lewisham Council is supporting a London-wide campaign against fraudulent charity collections.

The campaign comes after several convictions for people linked to fraudulent fundraising in recent years.

Called Support Charity not Crime, the campaign gives businesses and the public information on identifying genuine charity collections and say no to fundraisers they have doubts about.

People have been advised to check ID, ask fundraisers for more information and ensure they are from a registered charity.

The campaign, launching today (March 19), is supported by the Met Police, Charity Commission and several London boroughs.

Lewisham Council cabinet member for community safety Councillor Janet Daby said: "We want our residents to feel confident that any money they give to charity collections is going to legitimate charities that support people and organisations who really need it.

"Lewisham Council and our borough partners take a strong stance against anyone attempting to dupe our residents and businesses in this way and we want everyone to know what to look out for and how to be better protected."

Lewisham Police will be talking to people and giving out campaign leaflets outside Lewisham station today (March 19).