UK prime minister Theresa May says she does not agree with a council leader's suggestion to remove homeless people from Windsor before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May.
Simon Dudley, the leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council, said he wanted beggars removed because their "detritus" presents the picturesque town in a poor light.
He wrote on Twitter there had been an "epidemic of rough sleeping and vagrancy" in the town and said he wanted police "to focus on dealing with this before the #RoyalWedding".
"This is creating a concerning and hostile atmosphere for our residents and the seven million tourists who come to Windsor each year," he wrote in a letter to the local Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfield.
A homeless person sleeps rough near Windsor Castle, Berkshire. Tory council leader Simon Dudley called on police to clear rough sleepers from Windsor. Source: Getty Images
"It is becoming increasingly concerning to see the quantities of bags and detritus that those begging are accumulating and leaving on our pavements, at times unattended, thus presenting a security risk."
Mr Dudley said the council had invested heavily in support services to help those in need with shelters and emergency accommodation for rough sleepers, added there was evidence that many of those begging were not in fact homeless.
But Ms May is opposed to Mr Dudley's proposal.
"I don't agree with the comments that the leader of the council has made," she said.
"I think it is important that councils work hard to ensure that they are providing accommodation for people that are homeless, and where there are issues of people that are aggressively begging on the streets then it's important that councils work with the police to deal with that aggressive bullying."
Prime Minister Theresa May Source: AAP
Queen Elizabeth's grandson, Prince Harry, and his American fiancee, Markle, are to tie the knot at Windsor Castle, the monarch's palace to the west of London, in May with thousands of visitors expected to visit the town to celebrate the occasion.
The Windsor Homelessness Project's manager Murphy James told the BBC it was "sickening" Mr Dudley had cited the royal wedding as a reason for concern.
"It's absolutely abhorrent that anybody has got these views in this day and age, especially a lead councillor of the borough," he said.
"If somebody is sleeping out on the street, they are not there by choice, they are there because something has gone wrong."
Simon Dudley called on police to clear rough sleepers from Windsor before the royal wedding. Source: AAP
Locals also agree the homeless should be left alone.
Windsor tour guide Carmen Triana said it was "very sad" to see the homeless in the area.
"I think they should be protected and given the opportunity to try to find a roof and try to develop a life," she told the Associated Press.
A man known only as Derek said: "Well he's [Mr Dudley] a bit stuck up. Let's be honest about it, he represents Maidenhead Riverside, which is a big area, money.
"The idea is, he really wants to come and try it (being homeless) and see what it's like."
Sam White, who knows homeless person James, said people should speak with the rough sleepers and get to know them.
"Be generous, come and talk to them. If it's that much of an issue," he said.
"They are still people, you can come and have a chat to them. If you offer them food or something they will move on, if you want them to move on. They are still human."
