Locals in Cornwall’s poorest town are pleading with council chiefs to remove homeless pods they say have turned the town into a no-go zone.
Residents and business owners in Camborne say large groups of street drinkers and drug addicts gathering have scared off visitors and given it a bad reputation.
The 18-person site was opened in a town centre car park three years ago to reduce the number of homeless people occupying hotels and B&Bs.
When MailOnline visited the town, which is just 20 minutes drive from wealthy holiday destination St Ives, this week several empty buildings in the town centre have been boarded up to prevent squatting and daubed with rude graffiti.
Cafe owner Sharron Lipscombe-Manley said: ‘The anti-social behaviour has escalated in the years the pods have been down there.
Locals in Cornwall’s poorest town are pleading with council chiefs to remove homeless pods
They claim that since they have been installed they have turned the town into a no-go zone
Residents and business owners in Camborne say large groups of street drinkers and drug addicts gathering have scared off visitors
Camborne is just 20 minutes drive from wealthy holiday destination St Ives
Private security staff have been brought in to walk the streets of Camborne in Cornwall
‘People say the pods aren’t the problem but it is bringing more alcoholics and substance abusers to the town. It’s too much for a town of this size.
‘The whole atmosphere has changed, it feels unsafe, there’s lots of shouting and undesirables congregating in groups. People feel intimidated.
‘It’s 100% chasing customers off, people don’t want to come around an atmosphere like that.
‘Camborne has already got a bad name so they just think ‘a few more won’t hurt’ but it’s too many for this size of town. It needs sharing out.’
Scott Manley called for wealthier Cornish holiday destinations such as Rock to open their doors to more of the homeless population
He added: ‘We feel like we are losing our town.
‘They are more than happy to put these pods and rehab centres in Camborne but I bet you there are none in Rock, why don’t they share it around?
‘We’re not against the pods anywhere but we’re against the pods in the centre of town.’
In a sign of decline, several empty buildings in the town centre have been boarded up to prevent squatting and daubed with rude graffiti
Scott Manley has called for wealthier Cornish holiday destinations such as Rock to open their doors to more of the homeless population
Camborne is now one of the most deprived areas of the UK with almost one in three children living in poverty
In its heyday, Camborne was once the world’s richest mining town but is now one of the most deprived areas of the UK with almost one in three children living in poverty.
In 2012 a report to the government, external said: ‘Following the collapse of the mining and associated industries in the 19th and 20th centuries the area went into a period of prolonged decline.’
Earlier this year the town council was forced to recruit an army of bouncers and door staff to walk the streets as ‘street marshalls’ after residents complained police weren’t doing enough to tackle the problems.
A homeless tent city that was set up in the town’s church yard has also since been removed.
Lifelong Camborne resident Jo, 57, who was afraid to give her full name for fear of reprisals, said many of those causing trouble weren’t genuine homeless people.
She said: ‘Camborne is a lovely town and the businesses are doing really well but they are just making it really uncomfortable for people so they are staying away.
‘The genuinely homeless people you don’t see them out and about, the people causing trouble don’t want to be helped.’
Earlier this year the town council was forced to recruit an army of bouncers and door staff to walk the streets as ‘street marshalls’ after residents complained police weren’t doing enough to tackle the problems
A homeless tent city that was set up in the town’s church yard has also since been removed
Cornwall Council has claimed there is no evidence linking the pods to problems in the town.
But Jo described that as ‘a load of rubbish’. Adding: ‘We didn’t have this trouble before this lot were brought in, it’s encouraging others from outside to come in and socialise, you can’t say they’re not causing an issue.
‘You see the graffiti going on in this town, I wouldn’t have a business without shutters on it. I wouldn’t get money from a cash machine outside because I’ve had it so many times people asking for money I just say ‘no, you get more money than I have’.
‘The system is wrong, they are getting so much and giving nothing back. They are untouchable, they’re not afraid of being caught breaking the law because they have nothing to lose and they know it.’
The pods are leased from specialist company Bunkabin and offer residents a bed, desk space, a microwave, shower room and television without the fear of short-notice eviction.
However, one former resident ‘Julie’ described her 11 months there as a ‘living hell’.
She told CornwallLive: ‘There were drug dealers sat outside in the car park a few weeks ago. It’s all going on – the police are constantly there, ambulances are constantly there.
‘They’re queuing up at 8am in the morning to buy their drink in town. I saw one guy covered in faeces for four days – nothing was done about it. You couldn’t walk past the pod for the stench.’
Ferdy van Meurs has said a lot of people fall through the cracks in the area and are left homeless
Some believe homeless residents are victims of a surge in house prices
Similar pod schemes are also operating in Penzance, Newquay, Penryn and Truro.
Other people in the town believe homeless residents were victims of a surge in house prices fuelled by second homes and losing out on rental properties was just the ‘first domino to fall’.
Ferdy van Meurs who is originally from the Netherlands but moved to Cornwall five years ago.
He has been living in a budget hotel since losing his rented property in January and described the local housing situation as a ‘clusterf***’.
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He said: ‘There are a lot of people who fall between the cracks. A lot of people get into trouble because there is not enough housing.
‘The council is doing what it can to help people.
‘There is not enough support, when you are homeless you are in your own world and you are not capable of taking care of yourself. Somebody needs to be there to help them.
Camborne resident Samantha Hussey, organised the petition because she is concerned about the safety of the town centre.
She wrote on the site: ‘I am concerned about the safety of our town centre. Rosewarne car park, once a regular car park, has become a hosting ground for homeless pods.
Cornwall Council said there was no evidence anti-social behaviour in the town was linked to the pods
‘This has significantly impacted the sense of security, discouraging people from visiting the town centre due to fear.
‘Unquestionably, supporting the homeless is a crucial commitment, but there has to be an alternative solution which suits the interest of the homeless community without disadvantaging the residents.
‘Our shared objective is a safer Camborne where residents and visitors can feel secure around the clock. For this reason, we call upon the local council to remove the homeless pods from the Rosewarne car park and consider alternative solutions like adequate housing facilities or established local shelters.’
But Cornwall Council said there was no evidence anti-social behaviour in the town was linked to the pods and added the site is managed 24/7 and residents are risk assessed before moving into the accommodation and receive support with moving on from homelessness into long term homes.
A spokesman said: ‘Where evidence is available we will investigate any tenancy breaches and take appropriate action including eviction.
‘There is a lot of work ongoing to tackle anti-social behaviour in Camborne through the Safer Cornwall partnership, including £340k of investment from the Safer Streets scheme.’
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