Soup kitchen users will lose their shelter just as winter begins.

Volunteers have only been given temporary permission for a portable cabin for six months, starting this June, instead of the 12 months originally hoped for.

And they fear that they will not find a permanent site by the time the council permission ends and cold and wet conditions set in.

Liz Waller, co-organiser for the charity Dover Soup Kitchen explained: “It will come to and end just as winter begins.

“We have been looking for a permanent site all along and we were able to find it in the 18 months we were at our previous site.

“We need to continue discussions with the council to find the best possible solution.”

Dover District Council planning committee last Thursday gave permission for a portable cabin and toilet at Adrian Street, Dover, for just six months.

Some residents had objected to the application, fearing anti-social behaviour.

Cllr Peter Wallace, from the committee, told the Mercury: “In my opinion, the real job starts now to find them a permanent home.”

DSK, which feeds about 30 homeless and poverty-stricken people a day, lost their original base at the Pencester Road car park after 18 months last November.

Since then the volunteers have had to give food to people from the boots of cars at the Bench Street and Stembrook car parks.

The portable cabin is needed as a place of shelter for the service’s users, particularly during the winter.

The cabin will be next to the former Nu Age nightclub.

But 20 neighbours had objected to the scheme, saying it was too near to homes and they feared anti-social behaviour, which they say they had suffered when the nightclub was open.

But a total 69 people in the council consultation supported the scheme, saying there was a humanitarian need and that noise from the road would mask any noise from the facility.

The portable cabin at Pencester had to close when the council did not renew temporary permission.

This was after complaints from neighbours of anti-social behaviour, such as noise and disturbance.

But 37 of the 39 complaints came from the same two people.

There had been a petition signed by more than 600 people to keep it going and the council put in the application for Adrian Street on DSK’s behalf.