Basingstoke street rangers have defended following a man filming empty shops in the town centre - citing concerns about the current terror threat. 

A spokeswoman for Basingstoke Together, who manages the street rangers, said their staff have a right to ensure "businesses and visitors feel safe".

YouTuber Auditing Britian said he was left feeling 'profiled' after he was questioned for documenting empty shops in Basingstoke last week. 

Filming in a public place is legal in the UK. Members of the public do not need permission, a permit to film or photograph in public places and police have no power to stop filming or photographing. 

Basingstoke Gazette: The street rangers stopped to ask AB what he was doing but he refused to give his details The street rangers stopped to ask AB what he was doing but he refused to give his details

The man who wishes to be known as AB said: "I was in the town centre filming what lockdown looked like because obviously all the businesses are closed and making a record of that kind of thing.

“Then the rangers came to me and wanted to know why I was filming, they kept saying I’m suspicious and wanted my identification.

“It was quite alarming really. It feels like there’s more and more accredited people that go around and invade people’s privacy and try and infringe on people’s rights.

"They definitely profiled me in some sort of way.”

AB has posted the video to YouTube and on Twitter, which shows him being approached by a special constable and two street rangers.

He can be heard refusing to provide his details, leading the rangers to follow him. 

Eventually, after calling for back up from the police, the trio decide to give up. 

AB said the situation left him feeling shaken up. He told this newspaper: “I went to get something to eat at McDonald’s and when I was eating on a bench outside all of the cameras pointed at me.

“I was very careful to not drop a chip or anything like that because I thought they were waiting for me to do something wrong like litter so they could fine me.”

Basingstoke Together has defended its actions. Jane Stewart, chief executive of Basingstoke Business Improvement District, said: “During a patrol of the town centre, a member of the local authority Community Safety Patrol team along with our Basingstoke Together BID rangers, became aware of an individual filming and acting suspiciously.

“Despite a number of polite enquiries to find out more about what the individual was doing, they repeatedly refused to cooperate with these legitimate requests from officers.

“The current threat level, issued by the government is severe which means a terrorist attack is highly likely. 

“Filming or taking photographs in a public place is not against the law.  It is up to all of us to be vigilant in this current threat level. Like the CSPO team, our rangers are here to ensure our businesses and visitors feel safe.

“If an individual is unhappy with an interaction with the rangers, they can report it to us at info@basingstoketogether.co.uk  for further investigation.”

People can watch the video below.