A makeshift night shelter has been shut down by council officers over “thousands of pounds” of unpaid rent.
The refuge has been run at the Aquadama Activity Centre, a community centre in Billing Arbour House, in Lumbertubs, by churchgoers over the last few weeks.
Organisers said the homeless night shelter was only temporary and was going to end when the cold snap was over. On Friday, however, officers ejected the organisers because the shelter was being run without permission from Northampton Borough Council. It has now emerged organisers owed a large amount of unpaid rent.
Councillor Tim Hadland said: “This is a commercial building that, for a number of months, in breach of the tenancy agreement, has been used as an unofficial hostel.
“The tenant has also failed to pay their rent for a number of months, leaving them thousands of pounds in arrears.
“Over the last couple of months we have been speaking to the tenant to see how we could come to an arrangement that would see the arrears paid and the building used for its agreed purpose.
“Unfortunately, this has not been possible and we have been left with no alternative but to take back the building.”
Volunteers at the Aquadama Centre said they were trying to assist the community and had made no money from the centre.
Beverley Morgan said the centre was helping people and needed financial backing and support.
She said: “We just want to help. We have a passion to help the community and we have support from nobody.
We just make people feel welcome and share their problems. Now they are back on the street.”
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