A group of rough sleepers believed to be migrants have set up camp in London’s exclusive Park Lane in the last few days, after a group were removed from the same area last September.
Men, women and children have pitched up tents outside the Hilton Hotel in Mayfair, just yards away from Hyde Park.
Last year, a homeless camp mainly made up of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants pitched up in the same area after being moved from Marble Arch by police, having seen a rise crime and anti-social behaviour.
The migrants, accused of pick-pocketing and theft, were ordered to move from the Transport for London private land by officers after reports of muggings and robberies.
Pictures today show a camp being set up on the same land, with people photographed setting up their tents and lying on grass in the good weather.
Rough sleepers believed to be migrants have set up camp in London’s exclusive Park Lane opposite the Hilton hotel near Hyde Park for the second year in a row
A woman dressed in a black top and skirt was photographed moving a foam mattress across the patch of grass as the campers set up
A woman believed to be homeless lies down on the grass enjoying the good weather. Last September, a homeless camp mainly made up of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants pitched up in the same area after being moved from Marble Arch by police, having seen a rise crime and anti-social behaviour in the area
The camp has been set up outside the five-star London Hilton on Park Lane hotel (left) with tents set up in the shade of the trees
Several tents have been set up next to each with large coverings hung over the top of them. The campers’ bags and belongings are left to the side of the tents
Large amounts of the men and women believed to be homeless were seen setting up camp in Park Lane today as the capital continues to open up following the coronavirus lockdown
A man and a woman carry a blue tent over a flower bed as they set up camp today. Last year, Transport for London said the court order to remove the migrants was a last resort after attempts to offer alternative accommodation proved unsuccessful
A group of men lie down on the grass by the camp. Migrants were ordered to move from the same Transport for London private land by officers last September after reports of muggings and robberies
A woman moves throws and a large cushion into a tent while a man sets it up as the weather reached highs of 84.2F (29C) earlier today
A woman dressed in a black top and skirt was photographed moving a foam mattress across the patch of grass as the campers set up.
Large groups of men believed to be living illegally at the camp lied on the grass near the tents as the weather reached highs of 84.2F (29C) earlier today.
Several tents have been set up next to each with large coverings hung over the top of them on the grass, while the campers’ belongings have left by the side of tents.
The camp has been set up as the capital continues to be opened up as the country eases out of the coronavirus lockdown.
Westminster Council said: ‘We are aware that a group of people sleeping rough have gathered on Park Lane in recent days. We are working with our charity partners, the police and the Home Office to find a solution.
‘The council spends more than £7m a year in helping people find a life away from the streets offering more than 500 bed spaces a night.
‘We always help those people who have a genuine need but stress that living on Westminster’s streets is a danger to their lives. We act swiftly in response to any reports of anti-social behaviour.’
A man crouches next to a tent he is pitching up while a woman dressed in a long skirt and black top carries a large cushion and two throws into it
Nearby, a woman wearing a patterned skirt waits with her hands on her hips as another man sets up a tent next to a bush on the land
Bags of belongings and rubbish are left by the side while a towel is hung in a bush. Last September, shopping trolleys were piled with pots and pans, a broomstick, an accordion and a 32-inch plasma television, which a Romanian named Dan planned to sell ‘for a few hundred pounds’
Earlier this month, London councils and homelessness charities called on the government to suspend the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) immigration status during the coronavirus pandemic to prevent a rise in homelessness.
Hundreds of thousands of immigrants with the status in the UK have been given the right to work in the country without access to benefits should they become unemployed.
A letter spearheaded by Southwark councillor Kieron Williams sent to Home Secretary Priti Patel said a lack of benefits available to NRPF status immigrant ‘make it almost impossible to secure long-term homes for many rough sleepers’.
The letter said: ‘Without urgent action to address these issues we risk facing the unthinkable tragedy of rough sleeping going back up even while the threat of Covid-19 remains.’
Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and Greater London Authority have been approached for comment.
A mattress is left lying against a fence. Transport for London said the court order to remove the migrants last yearwas a last resort after attempts to offer alternative accommodation proved unsuccessful
The Home Office policy states that the deportation of rough sleepers who are EU citizens is unlawful and broke freedom of movement rules
Last September, shopping trolleys were piled with pots and pans, a broomstick, an accordion and a 32-inch plasma television, which a Romanian named Dan planned to sell ‘for a few hundred pounds’.
Dan said he did not want to return to Romania and was living with no money, no job and no food, according to The Telegraph.
Transport for London said the court order to remove the migrants was a last resort after attempts to offer alternative accommodation proved unsuccessful.
Raid police officers overlooked the site on September 19 to ensure there were no cases of modern slavery, which included people held against their will.
However those living in the ‘tent city’ resisted deportation at the time thanks to a High Court ruling made in 2017.
The Home Office policy states that the deportation of rough sleepers who are EU citizens is unlawful and broke freedom of movement rules.