Police, trading standards officers and firefighting charities have condemned the ‘callous’ peddler and say it is unlikely charities will see any cash.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has received a number of complaints about a man selling the ‘Little Book of Poems’ in Blackpool’s Houndshill centre.

The man claimed proceeds would then be passed on to the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund but the county’s fire service say the worker is duping kind people.

Tim Coglan, head of Trading Standards at Blackpool Council, said: “This is despicable. People who do this are callous.”

Mark Southern of the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund (FSNBF) said: “People involved in these scams are effectively stealing from injured firefighters.”

“It seems when they get enough bad publicity they shut up shop and move on.”

Police said that shoppers should not give money without proper identification.

Sgt Paul Gabbitas of Blackpool Police said: “In order to sell goods on behalf of an authorised charity you need a peddler’s certificate and a form of identification.

“If approached by anyone selling anything on behalf of a charity, ask for identification – and report the matter to the police if you are at all suspicious.”