Townwatch UK‘s survey Of South East England is in. We traveled South through Kent, East Sussex, and West Sussex. Then we entered London for the final leg, which was a cycle ride from London Victoria to Romford. We found that the City of Westminster was the worst for homelessness.

Believe it or not, our award for the most rough sleepers goes to SW 1, the City Of Westminster. We sighted over 50+ genuine rough sleepers bedding down for the night (midnight). I find it appalling that the richest council in London allows this to go on just yards from Buckingham Palace. I will be calling for action from Downing street to house these people. Boris Johnson promised to “eradicate homelessness” and we will hold him to it!

As I cycled along Embankment, I saw a rough sleeper on a bench. Someone was assisting the person. As I cycled further along Embankment, I came across a tent along the pavement. I continued my journey through London to Tower Bridge. I couldn’t see any rough sleepers in this area. Still, I did see a man with a big rucksack and a sleeping bag.

Outer London

I continued my journey to Romford though via Stratford, Mile end and Ilford. Mile end had a notable amount of rough sleepers outside shops along the main high street. In Ilford, I also saw at least ten visible rough sleepers. I can see someone was feeding breakfast to them. As I arrived in the town center of Ilford, a person approached me. He seemed to be high on Crack. He asked me if I smoke. I told him, “yes I smoke.” Then he asked if I smoke white? I said, “no, not my thing mate.” Then a lady came across the road. She asked for a lighter from the man. She lit up a pipe in front of me and took a huge toke of Crack. Just after this, a police car drove past. It continued down the road seemingly unaware of what had just taken place.

I asked directions from the crack addicts. They were friendly enough to point me in the right direction. I continued on to Romford, my final destination. There, I decided to see family and get some much needed rest and recuperation. After that, I left and headed to Romford station to get back to Southend-On-Sea. I only see one beggar in Romford high street. There are a few more scattered around that weren’t on my route to the train station. I am told they are always moved on in Romford.

Conclusion

I found my journey from London Victoria, Westminster to Romford a very revealing one. I now have a good idea of the scale of homelessness in the boroughs I passed through along the way. We will add this to our archive along with all our data from Essex, Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex. This information will be published in due course. The team here felt that the worst place we have seen so far should be prioritized. It is a matter of public concern. We are to propose solutions directly to the local homeless charities. We will also engage with the councils that are affected. Townwatch UK can’t rest until things are improved for the homeless in areas of concern.