Charities that harass or exploit donors should be exposed, and some banned from fundraising, a government-commissioned review has recommended.

The review follows concerns that leading charities have used aggressive fundraising tactics to target the vulnerable.

It suggests a stringent new regulatory body to replace the current operation.

The chair of the review, Sir Stuart Etherington, said the Fundraising Standards Board "really doesn't have the clout or sanctions" to effectively prevent malpractice.

The cross party panel from the House of Lords also called for the creation of an "opt-out" register, which would enable people to prevent charities bombarding them.

"We have to make sure that we restore public confidence in charity," Sir Stuart said.

"Not all charities behaved in this manner, indeed I suspect it was very few, but we've got to tackle those problems, otherwise I think the charity brand, if you like, will be damaged."

The review found that charities had become "too much about the ends and not enough about the means."

It added that although charities were in their right to ask the public for money, the public also had the right to be left alone by fundraisers.

The review has recommended that a new regulator be put in place. Sir Stuart said "It will be able to say to charities, 'that fundraising method that you're using, you're using inappropriately and we're going to stop you using that for a while.'"

It could also have the power to order training for fundraisers who have failed to follow correct procedure.

The issue of aggressive fundraising tactics was highlighted by the suicide of the UK's longest-serving poppy seller Olive Cooke earlier this year.

After her death, it was found that Cooke, 92, had received 267 charity letters in one month and thousands of phone calls.

Subsequent stories have since emerged, including that of Samuel Rae, an 87-year-old dementia patient, who allegedly had his personal details sold on by charities up to 200 times.

The Information Commissioner's Office is investigating claims that he was targeted by fraudsters and subsequently lost thousands of pounds.

Rae's son, Christopher, told the BBC: "I have heard some of the platitudes but actions speak louder than words.

"I think they've got a long way to go before they step back over the line we all thought they were behind. The charities need to do more farming and less hunting."

Sir Stuart said, "The reality is that most people give to charities when they are asked to, rather than spontaneously, so charities do need to ask. But they should inspire people to give, not pressure them to."