Over two dozen charities have warned the Tories to rethink "cruel" plans to clampdown on "nuisance" rough sleeping in England.

They claimed measures in the Criminal Justice Bill could see vulnerable women fined for seeking shelter and others penalised for "excessive smells". It comes as the Government seeks to replace the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act which made begging and rough sleeping a criminal offence in England and Wales.

But homeless charities Crisis, St Mungo's and Centrepoint are among more than 30 organisations warning the new measures "undermine" promises to end rough sleeping.

They warn: "The Bill proposes fines and prison terms for people in England and Wales who are considered a ‘nuisance’ when rough sleeping. Under the terms of the Bill, this includes people who look like they have slept rough, or who merely ‘intend’ to do so."

They add: "It could see women, who are disproportionately likely to suffer violence and sexual abuse on the streets, penalised for seeking shelter and safety in well-lit doorways. It could see a fine of £2,500 issued to a person carrying an ‘excessive smell’.

"To support people away from rough sleeping, we must establish trust between the authorities and those on the streets and find ways to connect people in unsafe situations with stable housing and support. The threat of fines and prison risks the opposite – stigmatising those forced to sleep rough, and pushing them away from help and into more dangerous environments."

Last week it was warned the PM faces a rebellion of around 40 Tory MPs over the Bill unless some measures are removed. Chief Executive of homelessness charity Crisis, Matt Downie, said: “The government cites a moral imperative to end rough sleeping, yet these new measures will make it more difficult to do so.

"They will punish people for having nowhere else to go and push them further away from support. If we focus on the solutions that work – building safe and stable social housing and investing in specialist support that helps people keep their home – we can end rough sleeping. But the first and easiest thing the Home Secretary [James Cleverly] can do is listen to the concerns of these experienced organisations and remove these cruel and counterproductive measures.”

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran - who campaigned against the Vagrancy Act - told The Mirror: "This policy is nasty and grim from a Conservative Party which continues to reach new lows. The British public, who donate so much time and money to help homeless people, are rightly disgusted by the Home Secretary's stance. This country needs a general election immediately to stop this vile politics."

Grilled on the Bill today, the Health Secretary Victoria Atkins told Sky News the Government wanted to "help the most vulnerable in society". She added: "What we're trying to target are those criminal gangs who make a living out of intimidating people. We want to stop some of the aggressive begging that can happen around cash points for example."

Suggesting the wording of the Bill could be changed, Ms Atkins said: "We are absolutely not criminalising people who are sleeping on the streets because they do not have a home."

The Home Office insists "excessive smells" in the Bill does not refer to people smelling. A spokesman said: “We are determined to end rough sleeping for good and we have a plan to tackle the root causes of why people end up on the streets, backed by an unprecedented £2.4 billion.

“We are repealing the outdated Vagrancy Act and replacing it with new legislation focused on supporting people to get off the streets. The Bill concentrates on behaviour that is anti-social, including causing environmental damage such as with excessive noise or litter. No one will be criminalised for simply having nowhere to live. We will continue to engage with stakeholders and parliamentary colleagues in the usual way as the Bill passes through parliament.”