Mansfield Council responds after coming under fire for fining a 'homeless' man

In a public Facebook post, Lucie Henstock criticised the council for fining an alleged homeless man outside the Sainsbury's in Mansfield.

She claimed the man was just seeking shelter with his dog at the time of the incident.

According to Lucie, the council worker made the man move and when confronted, said: “How do you even know he is homeless?”

She claimed the worker was provoking the man and “should be ashamed of his actions”.

Your Chad approached Mansfield Council for a statement in response to the incident, following an influx of concern from readers.

A Mansfield Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of this gentleman and our community safety team have been attempting to engage with him and address his behaviour for the last two months.

“Under the ASB police crime and disorder act and the PSPO, we have and will continue to signpost him to support services.

“We want to ensure the district is a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

“If a person is swearing, shouting, and engaging in an aggressive manner, we will challenge this and, if necessary, move the person on.

“The public expect us to ensure Mansfield is safe place to visit and reside, and we are actively taking measures to deliver on this.

“Over the last eight weeks, the gentleman in question has been served with a community protection warning for persistent begging.

“This has been breached, which has resulted in him being served with a community protection notice.

“This has also continued to be breached, which resulted in a fixed penalty notice being issued.

“Our staff being abused while attempting to engage with him will not be tolerated.

“Whilst we are unable to comment on his specific living circumstances, we will continue to support him with his needs and encourage relevant agencies to offer ongoing support.

“We actively encourage our residents to donate to existing support organisations rather than hand cash to people who appear to be homeless or those who are begging.”