Park Lane is synonymous with wealth, prestige and some of London’s most coveted real estate. Yet even here, residents behind multi-million-pound front doors are confronted with a far grittier scene: a man washing his feet in a public fountain just steps from their homes.
He is among the many rough sleepers who have gathered in a well-known encampment beside Marble Arch, a short distance from luxury hotels, elite car showrooms and some of the most expensive properties in the capital.
Nearby, a pair of scuffed blue sandals and an orange bag sit on the ground as the man appears to drink from the fountain. Two other men stand close by in conversation, one of them also barefoot after removing his shoes.
The three men, surrounded by a crowd of pigeons near the historic Grade I-listed monument, are far from the only people using the area as a refuge.
Across the gardens, dozens more can be seen resting on low walls around trees and flower beds, with bedding and bags placed beside them. Others gather to talk, smoke, drink beer or move aimlessly through the public space.
In one scene, the black railings around the site appear to have been turned into an improvised clothesline, with garments left hanging out to dry.
Another image shows a middle-aged woman crouched in a corner while smoking a rolled cigarette. It is not clear what she is inhaling, but a separate picture captures her low to the ground with her head pushed into a grey bag.
The hardship on display sits in sharp contrast to the polished world of neighbouring Park Lane, long regarded as one of London’s most exclusive addresses.
The images have surfaced just weeks after an encampment of Eastern European migrants appeared close to the historic monument.
Our News Outlet reported in July how dozens of individuals were bedding down each night at Marks & Spencer’s flagship Oxford Street store before carting their belongings to a spot under Marble Arch’s trees.
According to workers in Oxford Street, who have become well acquainted with them, the group flies in from Romania each summer to target the tourist high season.
A rough sleeper has been spotted washing his feet at Marble Arch’s iconic fountains, amid concerns over a rise in homelessness in the capital
The man also appeared to drink water from the fountains close to the historical monument
A middle-aged woman bends down in a corner smoking a rolled-up cigarette
Dozens of other individuals are seen lounging on walls or gathering around the gardens
When approached by Our News Outlet, they freely admitted having ‘no documents to work’ – and claim they have a ‘hard’ life with help from nobody but themselves.
Several encampments have appeared on Park Lane over the past couple of years, forcing Transport for London (TfL) and Westminster City Council to spend thousands to clear them out – yet still the same faces return.
According to a barista at the nearby Pret a Manger, many work together in shifts as ‘professional’ beggars, pickpockets or shoplifters.
He told Our News Outlet: ‘There is usually a lady stationed outside here on the pavement. She will sit there for a few hours begging for money before another one turns up.
‘They hand over the cardboard, and she takes her place. It is shift work, very well organised.’
Some of the gang have been around for years, since before the days of the Park Lane camp, and so he has, in a strange way, gotten to know them.
‘They will come in each morning very early to get a coffee, sometimes be a bit cheeky and try to get one for free, but they don’t steal from here anymore. Other places get ransacked,’ he said.
Meanwhile a security guard at M&S told Our News Outlet the entire group is banned from the store after stealing meat, alcohol and clothes worth hundreds of pounds.
The group’s plight lies in stark contrast to the residents of nearby Park Lane, one of the capital’s most exclusive postcodes
One image shows the black railings being used as a drying rack to hang clothes
He said: ‘They have caused us lots of problems over the years. We had to stop them coming in because they would steal – lots of stuff, very expensive.
‘If they were just stealing because they were hungry, they would take sandwiches – but they take meats, lots of steak. And alcohol – spirits like vodka, especially.
‘We often have standoffs, I have to tell them, “You’re not coming in.”
‘After a while they get the message, but they have been violent in the past.’
He reported that up to 20 were rough sleeping outside the store each night.
Among the individuals seen when Our News Outlet visited was convicted Romanian criminal Iliuta Gruia, who is said to run the organised begging ring.
Gruia, as reported in the Daily Express, has been to prison several times and received a restraining order in his home country after threatening to kill an entire family with an axe, including the children.
Last summer, TfL spent more than £113,000 in three months on a security firm hired to prevent rough sleepers returning to London’s Park Lane.
Just across London, Eastern European migrants have also become a regular presence either side of Euston Road, as well as outside King’s Cross and neighbouring St Pancras stations.
Earlier this month, Our News Outlet reported how more than 40 tents perched on the central reservation of the main road were home to dozens of chancers who fly in from Romania and Bulgaria to beg and commit crime for a living.
One local shopkeeper said: ‘They steal alcohol and solvents from my shop on a daily basis – I’ve lost hundreds, if not thousands, in business as a result.’
The latest figures show more than 1,000 new rough sleepers’ ‘last settled base’ was in asylum seeker accommodation, up from 10 per cent the previous year – while 946 rough sleepers were undocumented and in Britain illegally.
People from minority ethnic backgrounds – 53 per cent – form the majority of London’s rough sleepers.
Overall, more than 13,000 people were found to be sleeping rough across London last year, a new high – 10 per cent up on the previous 12 months and four times as many as 16 years ago.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham launched his premiership last month with a speech pledging an additional £340million towards efforts to end rough sleeping ‘at the earliest opportunity’.
Among the individuals seen when Our News Outlet visited Marble Arch last month was convicted Romanian criminal Iliuta Gruia (right) who is said to run an organised begging ring
Our News Outlet reported in July how dozens of individuals were bedding down each night at M&S’s flagship Oxford Street store
Councillor David Harvey, cabinet member for housing at Westminster Council, said of the situation in Marble Arch: ‘We have a duty both to support vulnerable people and to protect the wider public. We will continue to offer help to anyone sleeping rough, but compassion cannot mean accepting behaviour that makes public spaces feel unsafe or inaccessible to others.
‘Where support is refused and people are unlawfully occupying public spaces or causing antisocial behaviour, we will take action.
‘Westminster’s parks, streets and public spaces are there for everyone, and residents are entitled to expect them to be safe, clean and welcoming.
‘Most people who are sleeping rough need support, and we will continue to offer it. But Westminster cannot allow a situation where a small number of people repeatedly refuse help and create problems for everyone else.’
Councillor Caroline Sargent, deputy leader and cabinet member for enforcement at Westminster, added there was ‘no place’ for ‘antisocial behaviour, drug abuse, and crime’ in London.
She added: ‘As a council, we’re doing our part in trying to move people who are harming our public spaces.
‘But we expect a tougher approach from the police, and we need the Home Office to back us up with new legislation to keep our streets safe for residents and visitors.’
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesman said: ‘We’re making sure that everyone sleeping rough has a route off the streets this winter, backed by over £442million to deliver more housing and specialist support.
‘Our programme not only invests in long-term accommodation, but also in support that will help people with their physical and mental health as well as substance use.’
A TfL spokesman said: ‘No one should be faced with sleeping rough on London’s streets. This a busy part of the TfL road network that is not a safe place for people to sleep rough and our focus is always on the safety and welfare of everyone involved.
‘We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police to monitor this location and any illegal activity is immediately reported to the police.
‘People who have previously been sleeping rough at this site have been made aware that returning to the site is not an option and that they will be removed.
‘We continue to work with Westminster City Council whose outreach teams can connect people to the support available to them and continue to monitor the area.’
Our News Outlet has also contacted the Mayor of London for comment.
