Migrants take over posh London neighbourhood with ‘filthy and intimidating’ tent city | UK | News

Residents living near a sprawling tent city in London were terrorized by a group of men after their pleas to authorities went unanswered. An overpass outside Warren Street station has seen an explosion in the number of tents pitched alongside it, with around 50 tents currently in place despite objections from residents. This landscape, where the grandeur of bygone times contrasts with dirt and deprivation, in many ways sums up the current state of the nation.

The region, which was once a haunt of world-famous musicians, writers and artists, where house prices averaged £1.2 million, now hosts a city where people largely forgotten by society live, where those broken by substance addiction live together with new immigrants who have entered the country illegally. Tents in various states of repair lie in two pieces next to each other, while food, alcohol and human waste are scattered among the makeshift shelters some are forced to call home, as residents jockey for real estate among huge piles of garbage.

They claim the council and Transport for London have done nothing to address the situation, despite the vermin attraction which locals say has now gone crazy.

Elderly resident Anne-Marie, who lives around the corner and “led the charge” for the removal of the encampment, told the Daily Express that a small presence since before the pandemic has quickly snowballed in recent months. He said: “The first ones appeared there and it was disgusting with the rubbish piling up, but the council actually did something about it.

“But people here are now encouraging other people to join in and the council has done nothing to stop it.”

He added: “Litter and filth is a huge problem, it attracts foxes and mice but it can also be extremely scary.”

“They can be quite scary at night, especially when men are wandering around the station, especially for women alone.”

Locals report a handful of tents popping up before the pandemic, but say the current space is about ten times larger.

Those living in the camp admit that they came to the country via small boats last year.

A man from Bulgaria who was begging across the road from the camp next to the tube station said it felt like Christmas when he finally arrived in the UK.

Speaking in broken English, he described Britain as a “dream” destination for him and his neighbors in the tent city, who are mostly of Bulgarian and Romanian descent.

He added: “England is very good. Where I come from there is no money, no nothing.”

However, life inside the campground is dangerous and hazardous.

A man who gave his name as Igor and said he arrived here on a small boat two months ago said fights and violence occur “all the time”.

The keen bricklayer said: “Yes, there are always lots of fights. It’s not a good place to live, but we have nowhere else.”

Igor refused to say whether he had applied for asylum because of his new entry into the country and the possibility of being taken off the streets and taken to a hotel while his claim was being processed.

The Daily Express has approached Transport for London and Camden Council for comment.