LUDLOW councillor Andy Boddington knows that homelessness can happen to anyone because it happened to him.

The representative for Ludlow North on Shropshire Council has said that he wept after being abused by a ‘lout’ in the town centre after trying to befriend a man, known only as Nicky, sleeping rough in the town.

“We weren’t talking about his situation, just swapping stories on various campaigns and protest marches in our pasts,” said Cllr Boddington.

“His experience is very different from mine but we have discovered we share common ground on what we see as destruction of societal and environmental values.

“We weren’t allowed to finish our conversation. After just a few minutes, we were being heckled and sworn at.

“'I saw you buying cheap cider in Spar' the heckler shouted at me from around 10 yards away.

“You’re going to **** share it with him. With that **** tramp.”

“I didn’t engage with this 30-something lout. I was more concerned about Nicky’s reaction. He was calmer than I was. I guess he is used to it.

“Nicky is not a tramp. He is simply homeless and rough sleeping.

“The lout clearly didn’t like being ignored and shouted: 'What sort of **** councillor are you?'

“Again I didn’t respond. But I’ll tell you what sort of councillor I am. I’m a councillor that cares about people who are homeless – with a personal passion.

“Not so long back, my life and mind broke into fragments. I ended up rough sleeping on benches, compost bins, anywhere I could.

“What I learnt from that episode is that anyone of us, no matter how successful, can end up rough sleeping or homeless.

“I remember most the fear. The terror of not understanding what was happening in my head. The panic of having no money, no future and, I thought, no friends. I remember how difficult it was to get help. But unlike Nicky, for me rough sleeping didn’t last long. I was rescued by people I barely knew. I had friends I didn’t know I had. I am forever grateful to them.

“It’s a different world for me now. I’m secure, I’m a Shropshire councillor and I represent everyone in my division, whether they have a home or not.

“There are other homeless people in Ludlow, at least one of them rough sleeping more often than not. None of them are tramps, let alone 'effing tramps'. I am appalled that there are a small number of louts in this town who behave aggressively towards people who need help, rather than helping them.

“Homeless people are not tramps. They are simply us in different circumstances.”