CONCERNS about rough sleeper camps is growing after a group took over a seafront shelter.

Several homeless people have moved into shelters on Hove esplanade.

One has sleeping bags hung from a washing line, a supermarket trolley, camping chairs, a dog, clothes and rucksacks in it.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: “We’re aware of the situation at the esplanade shelter, and our street outreach service has offered the people there support to end their rough sleeping and engage with appropriate support services.”

Residents believe it is the same group of homeless people who were recently moved on from Hove Lawns where they had set up tents.

In August, The Argus spoke to a 53-year-old man who goes by the name of “Mr Dogg”.

At the time he was living in one of several tents which had been camped on Hove Lawns for weeks, despite the council issuing notices asking them to leave.

He said: “We’re keeping the area clean and there’s hardly any aggro.

“The council have come and stuck tickets on the tents three or four times.

“Some wonderful people staying in a hotel gave me a new tent with a note which said ‘thought you and your doggies need a bigger home’.

“If they ask me to leave I’ll say, ‘yeah, I’ll leave, but

only if the council give me a flat’.”

The council spokesman explained how the authority approaches these encampments.

He said: “We take a welfare-first approach to working with people in unauthorised encampments and sleeping rough.

“Our priority is to ensure they are able to move on safely to accommodation that meets their needs.

“Where people do not have a local connection we work to help them safely relocate back to where they do have a local connection and can get the support they need.

“The law around moving people in unauthorised encampments on from public highways and other areas is complex.

“Where people are not causing an immediate

danger our powers are limited.

“However, where antisocial behaviour is occurring and people are refusing to engage with the services being offered, we will consider taking possession action if we are unable to resolve the situation by other means.”

After a large group of travellers moved on to Hove Lawns, a judge approved the council’s eviction action and all tents were ordered to leave the lawns on September 2.

They were told to leave within three days.