Tent erected in Tottenham Court Road [Simon Lamrock]

DOZENS of people were sleeping in tents across Camden when temperatures plunged, despite local authorities being required to get people off the streets and into emergency shelters.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan triggered the severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) last Tuesday when temperatures dropped below zero degrees.

The special measures ensure that councils across the city, alongside homelessness charities, open additional accommodation for anyone sleeping rough.

But the New Journal spoke to 11 people sleeping rough in camps near Tottenham Court Road and Camden Town who had not been approached by anyone from the council’s rough-sleeping services about emergency shelter, nor had they heard of SWEP.

“OK so when is this going to happen will we be offered something tonight?,” said one. “We can’t sleep outside any more. We are not dogs, not even dogs can sleep outside now.”

Darren, who is from Somers Town but has been sleeping rough for a while, said he had not been offered accommodation.

He said this week: “I was staying wherever it was dry really. I haven’t got a tent. I just jump between the car parks. As long as it’s dry I tend to do all right. I just get a cardboard box and make it like a coffin to sleep in and that’s dry enough.

“My sleeping bag’s not too bad. I’ve got a decent sleeping bag but some people just have cheap summer ones.”

He added: “I think [the council] expect us to have smartphones. It’s a catch 22. It’s annoying because they’re getting funding for [people sleeping rough] but where’s the money getting spent, what’s it going on?”

Elodie Berland from outreach group Streets Kitchen said she only came across one person on Saturday morning outreach who had heard of SWEP.

“When you know there is a humanitarian obligation for local authorities to put people in and it’s not being done, we know it’s being done in other boroughs and in Camden it’s not,” she said.

“People were freezing last week; they had nothing. It’s heartbreaking. Our volunteers are breaking down at the moment. No one should be left like this. SWEP is an opportunity to get people in – that’s the way it should be.”

Photographer Simon Lamrock, who often contributes pictures to the CNJ, said he passed 15 tents in the Tottenham Court Road area on Thursday morning. He said: “I was shocked by how many people were sleeping in tents on biting cold pavements after SWEP had been activated.  It was so terribly sad and upsetting. No one should be left outside, especially in below-freezing weather.”

In Islington 13 people were booked into emergency accommodation last week.

A Camden Council spokesperson said it had also helped people.

“We have been helping the most vulnerable people access help, support and accommodation during this particularly cold period,” they said. “We helped 25 people off the streets and into accommodation on the days SWEP was activated and made further offers of help to other people on top of this.

“If you are worried about someone sleeping rough in Camden, please contact our Routes off The Streets team via the Camden Streetsafe app, by emailing Streetsafe@cgl.org.uk, or call 0808 800 0005.”