Local authorities planning to copy Westminster's controversial "building-based" approach to rough sleeping have been urged to proceed with caution.

The central London council last month replaced its outreach teams with services based in buildings in a bid to tackle the "perverse incentive" to sleep rough to access services.

Rough sleepers are guided by police and street wardens to buildings such as day centres, where they can access assessment and support.

Although most outreach teams have now been disbanded, the council has maintained a street presence to monitor numbers, tackle rough-sleeping hotspots and work with particularly vulnerable rough sleepers.

But Chartered Institute of Housing policy officer Sarah Davis said an approach without any street services could miss the most vulnerable rough sleepers.

Davis said authorities wanting to follow Westminster's lead would have to do so without cutting corners, which would be difficult in the light of Supporting People cuts.

Homeless Link's director of policy, practice and campaigns, Dominic Williamson, said he would watch the scheme carefully to make sure it did not become a means of pushing people into surrounding areas.