LONDON -- Ellie Goulding has hit out at an advertising campaign in London advising residents not to give money to "beggars."
The posters, which are displayed across the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, one of London's most affluent areas, suggest that any money given to someone on the streets could be spent on alcohol or drugs and lead to their deaths.
The singer tweeted her thoughts on the campaign on Thursday afternoon.
Disappointed in Chelsea Borough council who appear to have started a poster campaign urging people to not give money to "beggars"— Ellie Goulding (@elliegoulding) September 3, 2015
The ads, which are placed at bus stops and phone boxes across the borough, are part of a "hard-hitting campaign asking visitors and residents not to give money to beggars," the council says.
"Many of those begging use the money to fund their drug and alcohol habits rather than use it to buy food or to access accommodation," they add. "Only a small minority of the most prolific beggars in Kensington and Chelsea are actually homeless. Most have accommodation available to them either within the borough or elsewhere in London."
Our anti-begging campaign is asking people to help in a different way, blogs Nick Paget-Brown http://t.co/FOmpa0BjDU pic.twitter.com/6sRZDfPRsr— RBKC (@RBKC) August 12, 2015
The council say that they have an outreach team to help genuine homeless people, including offering referral to a hostel, and the adverts direct passersby to a website listing other organisations that work with vulnerable people in the area.
However, many on Twitter shared the same distaste as Goulding at the rhetoric on the ads.
@elliegoulding well said Ellie, shocking and disgusting, they are human beings, we should all help each other out.— Mikeyy from Vine (@MikeCorruption) September 3, 2015
@elliegoulding that's disgusting! People like them forget they could end up in that position. Nothing is set in stone in this life!— Jadeyy ✌ (@jadebrownx_) September 3, 2015
@elliegoulding General theme in London boroughs to remove the poor by any means necessary. What year is it again?— David Neil Robinson (@DDIGITALMEDIA) September 3, 2015