Homeless return to Flinders Street station

Homeless people sleeping rough outside Flinders Street station who were moved on by council officers so concrete could be cleaned have returned to the area.

The rough sleepers were asked to move from Flinders Street station on Wednesday so a concrete area could be cleaned.

The City of Melbourne denied claims the efforts to move them were linked to the Australian Open.

The council said officers regularly monitored sites used by people sleeping rough and kept the areas tidy.

Victorian Attorney-General Martin Pakula said Wednesday's operation was "certainly" not related to the tennis and the state government is doing "a great deal" to tackle homelessness.