Fur coats fit for the homeless

Liverpool's homeless are to be given some unusual early Christmas gifts next week – fur coats from an anti-fur group.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), which has led the campaign against wearing fur, will distribute up to 50 coats, including those made from mink and fox, to the homeless. They are urging others to do likewise with unwanted furs they may have at home.

Dawn Carr, director of Peta Europe, said: "We are trying to take a bad situation and making something new and better. Liverpool is a cold city and there are people there who would benefit from fur.''

She recognised that some homeless people would not want to wear fur: "It's up to them what they do with them – if they don't want to wear them, they can use them to sleep on or under.''

Vanessa Coulter, 17, a Big Issue seller in Liverpool, said: "I wouldn't have any objection to wearing a fur coat but I would probably just use it at night when it gets really cold – I wouldn't want to walk round in the daytime wearing one.''