Memorial for homeless man ‘used as a deterrent’

A council has been accused of using a “tribute” to a dead homeless man as a way to deter rough sleepers.

Residents have accused Newquay council in Cornwall of being heartless after it placed a planter in the doorway of a vacant shop where Phil Hancock, a homeless man in his mid-30s, was found dead in April.

Several locals claimed the authority was using the planters as a deterrent to block areas.

The authority denied the claims and said the planter, which is adorned with a plaque in Mr Hancock’s memory, was part of its continuing town centre enhancement scheme.