Shelter says homelessness is rising in the UK

Westminster City Council said "soup runs", when volunteers give free food to homeless people, dissuade people from finding somewhere to live.

It said it would consider stopping the practice. But Adam Samson, director of homeless charity Shelter, said the council must find another way to help.

"It is not lack of soup that causes homelessness," Mr Samson said.

'Turn lives around'

A spokesman for Westminster City Council said soup runs fail to reduce the number of homeless people and can disturb residents in surrounding areas.

"We appreciate they are trying to help but all they are doing is helping to sustain people on the streets," the spokesman said.

The council said it need more government funding to enable it to house a greater number of homeless people and enable them to "turn their lives around".

There's certainly a huge amount of goodwill out there for people to do something positive Adam Samson, Shelter director

Mr Samson said the number of homeless people in the UK had risen over the past year.

"Rough sleeping is on the up again and that is partly fuelled by migrant workers coming from east European states," he told BBC Radio Five Live.

But he insisted that soup runs "had their place" in tackling the problem.

"Maybe they're over subscribed but there's certainly a huge amount of appetite, a huge amount of goodwill out there for people to do something positive in volunteering to work with homeless people," Mr Samson said.