A fundraising scam has been stopped after officers picked up young offenders who claimed to be raising money for a boxing club.

Royal Borough community wardens stopped the group of young boys in Maidenhead High Street on Friday, after concerns were raised about the scam.

The four boys were seen in Windsor last week claiming to be raising money for Slough Amateur Boxing Club, but the club confirmed that it has no involvement in it.

A spokesman for the Royal Borough said: “After being questioned by our team the group were found to have lists with the addresses and phone numbers of residents who had handed over money to them, supposedly for the upkeep of a gym in Slough.

“They were then handed over to the police for any further action and had the list of personal details taken away from them."

Chris Donovan, manager of Slough Amateur Boxing Club, said he had heard of people raising money in Maidenhead, Windsor, Slough, Reading and as far away as Croydon, and feared how it may affect his club in the future.

He said: "I have no idea why they are doing this. It is a scam and I am not sure why they picked on our club.

"I have had a lot of members of the public ring up just to check if it was legitimate.

"It probably will have an effect on the club in the short and long term, as if we go out and try to raise funds, people could be cautious about anybody saying they are from the club."

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "We are aware of a group of young boys who were reported to have been asking members of the public for money.

"We contacted our partners at social services and spoke to the boys’ parents and the boys themselves. We have given them appropriate advice."

If anyone has any concerns about suspicious collectors, they should contact the Royal Borough on 01628 683802.