Tents used by rough sleepers will be removed, says council

Councillors said they did not want encampments in Blackpool like the ones seen in places like California

Tents used by rough sleepers are being removed from a town centre amid fears of anti-social behaviour, a council meeting has heard.

Action has been taken to remove tents in Blackpool due to a "zero tolerance" approach to people setting up homeless encampments like those seen in parts of London and the United States.

A meeting of the full council was told that when homeless people were informed that they had to leave they were also offered advice and the chance to engage with services to find them proper accommodation.

Councillor Michele Scott, who was attacked last year in Gynn Gardens, along with her husband, warned if nothing was done the town was at risk of becoming "like ‘California" where tent cities have been set up by homeless people.

'Robust procedure'

She said the issue was personal to her and her husband, councillor Danny Scott, after the couple were attacked by a man in December last year.

She said council officers were “acting very quickly and removing the problem”.

Tent dwellers have been seen in parts of the town centre including in Stanley Park and on land on East Park Drive.

The latest official count in Blackpool found a record number of rough sleepers with 21 found, based on a snapshot of a single night in autumn last year.

The figure was up from seven the year before and was the highest number since comparable records began in 2010.

Councillor Paula Burdess said in her report that the council now had a "robust procedure" in place to ensure the issue was controlled.

She said: “This includes street cleansing staff challenging people in tents from 6am and issuing a first warning to move, followed by later visits in the day to ensure that this happens."