A CITY councillor has criticised the removal of benches from a popular Winchester meeting place after a spate of violence and anti-social behaviour.

Businesses around Kings Walk told police that a gang of loiterers was urinating, vomiting and smearing tomato ketchup on the benches.

But Cllr Dominic Hiscock said removing public amenities would not solve the “real issue” of anti-social behaviour.

He said: “The trouble is that those people won’t go away. Those people are now going to go somewhere else.

“What we’re gradually getting now is an erosion of places to sit and enjoy the city. It was used very highly by a number of elderly people waiting for buses. It’s a pity.

“I’m not convinced that that was the right answer.”

Ian Ball, manager of a nearby indoor market, said the group sold drugs and intimidated would-be customers for years.

“You name it, they’ve been doing it out there,” he said. “The police are here every five minutes.

“Everyone that walks down here asks ‘oh, that must be horrible for you.’ We still get it now a little bit.”

The rabble still disrupts trade by congregating under a nearby awning when it rains, he added.

The seats were removed by the council this month after escalating problems in Kings Walk. A council spokesman said the group caused trouble sitting on “all the benches, every afternoon”.

The council worked with police and local businesses to address the complaints.

Sandra Tuddenham, head of community safety, said: “We’re still dealing with those individuals. We’re patrolling the area robustly.

“We feel that we’ve made the right decision because businesses are thanking us. If we’d had a number of complaints we might have considered putting them back in but we’ve only had one.”