Another camp of homeless people has been found two weeks after the council moved a group on from a similar nearby site.
At least two people discovered sleeping in tents on a grassy bank backing onto West Hertfordshire Sports Ground this week were moved on from land next to Beechen Grove Road on February 27.
Baliffs from Hertfordshire County Council cleared occupants from the area behind Sainsbury's after they ignored a direction to vacate.
Three shelters varying in size were spotted camouflaged by shrubs and branches close to Rickmansworth Road this week, equidistant from Watford Town Hall and New Hope’s Haven Support Centre on Whippendell Road.
New Hope provide accommodation and opportunities for those sleeping on the streets.
The Watford Observer asked Hertfordshire County Council and Watford Borough Council if they were aware people were living outdoors on the new patch of land.
It is not known if New Hope are actively supporting the occupants.
Concealed behind a screen of broken branches are two family-size dwellings – one collapsed - and one single-berth shelter each with an area of grass cleared for a camp fire.
There are at least seven or eight shopping trolleys also buried in the bushes, each filled with suitcases and sealed travel bags near to a clothes line and a bicycle.
Discarded food packaging and bottles can be seen scattered close by, suggesting the occupants have been established for some time. And two garden chairs are positioned beneath a low tree canopy.
The entire camp is windswept and wet suggesting the people living there have been camping throughout the recent cold weather and high winds.
A Hertfordshire County Council spokesperson said: “An officer from the council will be visiting the site this afternoon to assess the situation and consider what action may be necessary.”
Elected Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said: “We are aware that two of the people from the previous camp site by Sainsburys have moved to the verge between Upton Road and Rickmansworth Road. This is a dangerous site between two busy roadways and we’re very concerned about their welfare. I am working with Herts County Council and New Hope to make sure they are offered support and accommodation. I am doing all I can to ensure no one in our town has to sleep rough.”
New Hope have been approached for comment.
https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/17460946.sainsburys-encampment-in-watford-removed-by-council/?ref=twtrec
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