A popular square just yards from London's Victoria station has been overrun by rough sleepers described by nearby workers as aggressive, according to shopkeepers and hotel staff in the area. Grosvenor Gardens sits in the shadow of the £800-a-night Goring Hotel, a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and is just over a mile from Andy Burnham's 10 Downing Street residence.
Dozens of homeless people were seen wrapped in blankets, dozing in tents, on the parched grass and even on top of public table tennis tables. Others wandered the square drinking alcohol while office workers and tourists ate lunch nearby. One homeless man was seen screaming at passersby, including an elderly couple who appeared shaken.
Piles of pillows, sleeping bags and other belongings were left on top of bus shelters, apparently used as a storage spot during the day. The smell of marijuana was strong in the area, where families often walk on their way to the busy train station.
Nearby shopkeepers said homeless people, often on drugs, frequently steal produce worth hundreds of pounds from their businesses or harass staff.
Off-licence robbery
Bally Singh, who runs the off-licence Charles of Belgravia, said two homeless people smashed through his front door and stole more than £1,000 worth of alcohol and cigarettes. "This was the first robbery I've had in my shop in over 100 years of ownership," he said.
"They were very foolish thieves as they put their stolen goods into a rubbish bag from the council, which is red in colour," Singh said. "An hour later, police found them in the coach station with the bag, however the bottles had smashed, destroying all the goods. It's terrible. I had to replace the door and the lock on my shutters as they broke the motor."
Singh said another homeless man repeatedly stole ice cream from a freezer left outside the shop, while others discarded shoes and belongings on the stand outside. He estimated the thefts cost him between £30 and £40 a week. "We informed the council about it in a very big email, and there are guards patrolling around," he said.
Hotel staff describe daily disruption
Varundi, a receptionist at a nearby hotel, said homeless people often try to bother guests and use the hotel's restrooms. "Of course we cannot physically touch them because that's against law, but sometimes it's really difficult for us to kick them out of here," she said.
She said the hotel now keeps one room's blinds permanently closed because guests would otherwise be bothered by someone sleeping behind the building, where a man had been there for three days. The hotel was once unable to let a room for a week after a homeless man who had booked it urinated inside and stole the linens. "We could not let that room out for another week because it was so stinky," Varundi said, adding there was also the cost of a deep clean.
"There are more than ten people sleeping in Grosvenor Gardens each night," she said. "They don't try to harm you, but sometimes you feel scared of them."
Her colleague Bianca said a man had walked around the breakfast buffet taking sugar from the tables. "There are more and more of them lately. It's more common," she said.
Restaurants and cafes hit by thefts
Mary, 47, a server at a nearby burger restaurant, said the worst days are Fridays and weekends. "Sometimes they come in, they grab a customer's stuff, run away, pick up food," she said, adding that thefts can amount to hundreds of pounds worth of food, including whole delivery orders grabbed during busy periods. Staff sometimes have to apologise to customers and offer free drinks or refunds.
Morgan, a 28-year-old bartender, said the occasional homeless person comes in but it does not really affect the business much. Another shopkeeper near the station said homeless people enter their shop every single day, and a 24-year-old baker nearby said they also frequently come in to steal food.
A barista said newly installed security guards sometimes help when issues arise. One barista said he was punched by a homeless person who tried to steal food from the cafe. "It's not considered an emergency as they did not have a knife, so we had to wait a long time for police to come," he said, adding he was eventually taken away by officers.
Staff report abuse and stolen cash
A colleague of the barista said staff have been physically abused. "They throw things at us when we tell them to stop stealing our food and they get angry," she said. "They can be loud and aggressive. They take between £80 and £100 every day, one guy took £64 worth of food in one go. They don't mess with our bigger members of staff, but we have young people working here, women who may not be as strong."
The barista said staff have built relationships with some rough sleepers and will give water or expiring hot food to those who approach nicely. "You can clearly tell when someone is in need, especially when it's cold," they said.
'A lot more prevalent'
Adam, 39, who owns Maestro of Belgravia cafe, said homeless people entering his shop had become a lot more prevalent. He recently had to wake a man sleeping in the doorway of his storage basement to access it.
"There's a group or a camp of people that are just homeless and have addiction issues, just constantly get told to move on," Adam said. He said a neighbouring shop had a break-in a couple of weeks earlier in which alcohol and cigarettes were stolen from the shelves. "We've had a few negative, really negative reactions or you get a few swear words before they move on," he said.
Council and police response
Councillor Caroline Sargent, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Enforcement at Westminster City Council, said local people and businesses are fed up with rough sleeping sites springing up. "This is totally unacceptable in the heart of a capital city," she said.
Sargent said the council spends £8 million a year on support ranging from hostels to addiction treatment. "While many people we engage with support to move away from rough sleeping, some locations can also attract individuals involved in anti-social behaviour and, in some cases, criminal activity," she said, adding that rough sleeping and anti-social behaviour are separate challenges requiring different responses.
Sargent said Andy Burnham has pledged to end rough sleeping and the council would like to take him up on that, calling for support from immigration authorities, police, businesses and the Home Office.
The Metropolitan Police said it has rolled out new technology as part of a crackdown on retail crime that has quadrupled the number of shoplifters brought to justice in the capital, letting retailers submit CCTV footage and other evidence directly to officers. Chief Inspector Rav Pathania, the Met's lead for business crime, said the technology is helping identify offenders faster. "By receiving CCTV footage and evidence directly from retailers at the point a crime is committed, we can build stronger cases and act more decisively," he said.
