Oxford Street lined with over 40 beds after migrants cleared

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

More than 40 rough sleepers have set up camp on Britain's most famous shopping street just weeks after a 'tent city' of homeless people was broken up. A long line of homeless people were seen under duvets and makeshift beds after dark on Oxford Street, London, with some groups talking and sleeping.
The world-renowned shopping hub is one of Europe's busiest retail streets, with hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the globe. In July, migrants were seen sleeping under bedding and smoking cigarettes on the world famous street just a week after being evicted from the area. People were seen gathered on the pavement outside John Lewis' flagship store as shoppers and commuters walked around them.
The camp was been spotted just days after a 'tent city' full of homeless people in the area was broken up. Weeks ago, enforcement teams were called to tear down the encampment which blighted Hyde Park Corner for months. The action was taken by Transport for London (TfL), which applied for a possession order to retake the land.
MailOnline understands it was the fourth such time the site had been cleared in the last 12 months. The camp was next to London's West End tourist Mecca, and just a stone's throw away from Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Speaker's Corner, as well as Oxford Street. The most recent spotting of around 40 homeless people sleeping on world famous street, with locals saying 'the vibe' of the area has changed.
One said: 'After hearing about all the phone snatching and pickpocketing, I thought I knew what to expect. But I wasn't ready for the number of homeless people I saw when I went to an evening event.' Another said: 'I lived in London 20 years ago, worked in Bond Street. It was nothing like that.' While one quipped: 'London is a mess right now.'
In July, dramatic pictures showed groups of people from the squalid site in Hyde Park being moved on by officers, some of whom appeared to be wearing stab vests. Occupants of the camp were forced to rip down dwellings made of tarpaulin sheeting while bailiffs watched on. Some from the tent city were pictured hauling grubby-looking mattresses after being evicted. Security teams comprising dog-handling units maintained a presence at the former campsite today.
For months the prime city centre spot, opposite The Dorchester in Park Lane has been plagued by homelessness. Up to 100 migrants were reportedly camped at the site at one point, with some defiantly saying they won't go anywhere. But their presence ignited fury from exasperated local residents, who wanted them gone.
When MailOnline visited a previous Mayfair location last year, those living there insisted they were going nowhere. 'We don't have any money [to go anywhere else]. We will just stay here until we can find something,' said someone from the group. The eyesore was just yards from an Aston Martin showroom and other prestigious hotels like the Beaumont, the Hyatt Regency and the Connaught.