A group of homeless migrants and people struggling with drug addiction have made their homes in a council-run car park used by hundreds of shoppers each day.
At least a dozen men have established makeshift shelters in Reading’s Civic B Car Park, which is located directly beneath the town’s magistrates’ court.
The run-down brutalist structure, where the hourly parking charge recently rose from £2.10 to £4.30, is used daily by barristers, commuters and shoppers.
When Our News Outlet visited, men were seen injecting heroin in secluded areas while clothes and other belongings lay scattered across the floor.
Footage from inside the car park shows tents, blankets and personal possessions piled on ground stained with urine.
Most of the men appear to be living on the first floor, which shoppers pass when using the stairs, although some also sleep beside vehicles on the ground level.
Some of the disturbing scenes show rubbish and discarded underwear lying just a few feet from shoppers’ cars.
On the same day Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to ‘fix rough sleeping’, Our News Outlet visited the site and spoke to some of the people living there.
At least a dozen men have created makeshift homes among the concrete pillars of Reading’s Civic B Car Park
The deteriorating brutalist building, directly beneath the Berkshire town’s magistrates’ court, is used each day by barristers and hundreds of shoppers
Richard Okine, 33, from Ghana, has lived in the car park since 2023 after losing his life savings
Richard Okine, 33, has lived in the car park for almost three years after losing his life savings in a romance scam.
The father, who flew to the UK from Ghana six years ago, says he is too frightened to sleep inside a tent following a recent stabbing.
He said: ‘Living here is extremely difficult. One of the biggest problems is that the blankets we sleep on are taken away.
‘I don’t use a tent. I sleep under a blanket because I don’t feel safe inside one. Someone could enter and do anything to you, and nobody outside would know what was happening.
‘There have been several violent incidents here. Many people smoke heroin and crack cocaine, and arguments can quickly turn into fights. A few months ago, someone cut another man’s ear. It was almost severed.’
Richard says he was granted permission to remain in the UK on a family visa and has previously worked at Sainsbury’s and as a cleaner.
He also acknowledges that he is addicted to heroin and says shoplifting can appear to be one of the few ways people in his position can raise money.
‘I’m originally from Ghana, and I’ve been in the UK for nearly six years. I came here legally on a family visa after my father brought me over,’ he said.
‘I’m allowed to stay here legally, but I have pre-settled status. As far as I understand it, I need indefinite status before I can qualify for housing or public funds. That leaves me stuck in between.’
Cigarette ends and clothing are scattered across the busy council-run car park where homeless men have made camp
The men’s tents are mainly concentrated on the first floor, which shoppers must pass through
During Our News Outlet’s visit, men were seen injecting heroin in dark corners as clothes lay scattered across the floor
‘I can work, and I have worked before. I’ve done cleaning jobs and worked at Sainsbury’s in Newbury.
‘But when you’re homeless, you’re dirty. Sometimes you cannot even shower. I haven’t had a shower for about eight months. I’m telling you the truth.
‘There are places where you can wash, but some of the people there are aggressive and you can end up in a fight. I stopped going because it felt too dangerous.’
Richard met a woman from Ghana on Facebook and began sending her the money he earned while working in Britain.
He said: ‘She was from Ghana, and I fell in love with her. I thought we would get married. I sent her money, rented and furnished a house for her and paid for her education to become a nurse.
‘But when I travelled to Ghana, I discovered another man had been staying at the property while I was away. The children told me he arrived late at night and left early in the morning.
‘I felt as though I had been used. When I found out, it completely broke me. I couldn’t work or do anything. That is how I became homeless, and it still hurts.
‘After the relationship ended, I started taking drugs. I began with cannabis, then moved on to crack and heroin. I’m now an addict, although I’m receiving medication.
‘Sometimes I feel tired of life, but I can still work.’
MUST READ: Democrats Plan to Seize UFO Disclosure Agenda From GOP After Midterms
He added: ‘I believe the Government could do much more to help people in this situation. There should be support, as well as jobs people can start quickly, even if they are dealing with addiction.
‘So many people are trapped in circumstances like mine, and they need a route out.’
Another resident, James Johnson, 41, said: ‘I was living in west London, but I got into trouble and moved out here.
‘It’s horrible, but what can you do? There is a system here, and it is easy to find what you want, including drugs.’
The former retail worker added: ‘I would be happy to move if there were somewhere better to go, but where is that?
‘We are offered a few weeks of shelter around Christmas, but it is going to be f***ing cold before then, let me tell you.’
Reading Borough Council has placed a series of posters around the site warning that it is ‘not suitable’ for people to live there.
The notices have not stopped an increasing number of men from using the car park as a home.
Motorists have also raised concerns about the car park’s condition and security, with one driver saying online that his vehicle had been vandalised.
People are living in bleak conditions across two floors, with tents, blankets and belongings piled on urine-soaked ground
Rubbish and discarded underwear can be seen just a few feet from shoppers’ cars
One driver was furious after someone allegedly tried to force entry to his car with a concrete block. Danny Chilvers posted a photograph online showing deep scratches on his Audi, which had been parked in a bay.
He wrote: ‘Someone tried to break into my car with a concrete block. It literally happened on my birthday at Civic B car park.
‘I called, and apparently there is no CCTV. The police have been contacted. Be a bit cautious when parking here.’
He added: ‘I’m going to see whether the council can be held liable. If they knew this was a persistent problem and failed to take action, then they should be.’
One local resident blamed the ‘tent people living by the entrance’, adding: ‘God knows why they are allowed to stay there.’
Another commenter wrote: ‘Claim on the insurance and make your peace with it. Dealing with the council will be like talking to a brick wall.’
Other drivers said they use Riverside car park instead because it is ‘convenient and feels safe, even if it’s expensive’.
Another motorist complained about broken glass believed to have come from attempted break-ins, while a third described the car park as poorly lit and said there was no obvious CCTV.
The car park has 170 spaces and operates around the clock. Footage taken upstairs from the court shows rats running across the floor.
Makeshift ‘shanty towns’ have also appeared in other UK car parks, with recent encampments reported in Nottingham and Gloucester.
The locations are thought to appeal to rough sleepers because they are generally dry, secure and close to town centres.
The development follows the Mail’s investigations into homeless encampments across central London, including sites in Mayfair, Oxford Street, Shoreditch and The Strand.
The number of people sleeping rough in England has reached a record level, with an estimated 4,793 people spending a single night on the streets last autumn.
According to the latest annual Government figures, that represents a 171 per cent increase since 2010.
More recent data estimated that 8,748 people slept rough at some point during June this year, the highest figure recorded for that month.
Meanwhile, a record 135,580 households were living in temporary accommodation at the end of March, including 177,530 children.
In Reading, the council recorded 43 rough sleepers during its latest annual count in November 2025, compared with 42 the year before.
A council spokesman said: ‘The council’s commissioned outreach team at St Mungo’s regularly engages with the small number of people camping at this site, both to check on their welfare and to refer them to accommodation and support provided by the council and its partners for people sleeping rough in Reading.
‘Alongside visits from St Mungo’s, people sleeping rough receive continued support through the council’s Rough Sleeping Initiatives Team, winter shelters provided by the charity FAITH between January and March, and seven additional supported-accommodation projects providing more than 270 bed spaces for single people and couples who are sleeping rough or at risk of doing so. All are commissioned by the council.
‘This is in addition to the council’s SWEP, or Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, which is activated when temperatures reach zero degrees or below for three consecutive nights. It provides emergency accommodation to anyone sleeping rough, regardless of whether they have a local connection or access to public funds.
‘The council would nevertheless emphasise that, although accommodation is available and offered, it is unfortunately not always accepted by people sleeping rough.’
