A BUSY soup kitchen which feeds up to 100 people on Saturday nights has been told it must no longer give out food in the Lower Gardens.

Bournemouth Borough Council has told volunteers at the homeless support group Street Light it cannot distribute meals from the gardens due to the “potential for anti-social behaviour”.

Anastasia Wells, who established Street Light in March this year, said: “The council said it was concerned about anti-social behaviour and that it's bad for tourism but we have never had any incidents since we've been there.”

The 23-year-old said the group, which provides hot meals, food, clothing and other supplies to homeless people, does not have an alternative site to distribute food from at this time.

She said: “We feed around 50 people on Tuesday afternoons and up to 100 people on Saturday nights. At the moment we have nowhere else to go.”

Bournemouth Borough Council's community safety manager, Andrew Williams, said his team had met with volunteers from Street Light to discuss the location of the unlicensed soup kitchen and the council's concerns regarding anti-social behaviour.

He said: “We are particularly concerned for the safety of both residents and tourists who use the gardens who are currently impacted by its presence, especially those trying to access the toilet facilities and the potential for anti-social behaviour.”

He added: “We are working with Street Light to find an alternative and more appropriate location for the soup kitchen.”

Mr Williams said the council works closely with other licensed organisations who are currently providing services to those in need.