Louts target homeless battling heatwave ‘hell’
ROUGH sleepers have described being attacked in the street – and their battle for water during the ‘hellish’ heatwave.
Mark Gilmour says he was beaten up by a drink-fuelled yob in Salford as the sweltering temperatures ‘bring out the idiots.’
Others across Manchester city centre describe going for hours without water as they scramble for shade under archways and outside shops.
It comes as the boss of one the city’s major homelessness charities warned this week’s heatwave could be ‘just as deadly’ as a freezing winter’s night.
Big Issue seller Mr Gilmour told the M.E.N.: “The hot weather kind of brings all the idiots out and when they’ve had a few drinks they can get aggressive and try and give you a hiding.” He added: “It happened to me.”
Temperatures hit 31C in our region on Thursday and will hover around the 30C mark until tomorrow.
Mr Gilmour said it was becoming increasingly difficult for homeless people to find places to get water and a decent meal.
He said: “Over the years, more and more places and charities where you can get a meal and a drink have closed down. If you’re living on the street nowadays you’re more reliant on Joe Public and private individuals.”
He added that the pandemic had also made it ‘harder to make a living than it used to be’ as the number of commuters and potential Big Issue buyers had gone down with more people now working from home.
Some rough sleepers are going without water for hours in the blistering heat.
“This is the first water I’ve had since 7am and it’s now half-past one,” a woman named Becki said.
“People don’t buy you bottles of water and don’t look at you even though you’re really thirsty in the heat. It’s really difficult to cope with it when the weather is like how it’s been this week. The weather definitely makes [attacks on homeless people] worse. People laugh at you and I’ve even been smacked in the face during the weather we’re having now.”
Water is also an issue for Jordan Winstanley, who is sat outside the Tesco Express store next to the bus station.
Jordan, 40, said. “The heat is hard. Most places won’t give you a glass of water. I have to go to the train station and hope the water fountain is working and half the time it’s not.”
A council spokesperson told the M.E.N. that its day centres can offer respite from the sun and essential supplies.
A statement added: “In line with government guidance for warm weather, we encourage people to stay indoors, especially during peak hours.
“We will support those sleeping rough on the streets during the heatwave and ask them to come into day centres where they can seek respite from the sun and will have access to water, hats and suncream to keep them safe during the day as well as access to further support.
“We are ensuring this is a coordinated approach across the Manchester Homelessness Partnership. If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough, please report it here: www. streetlink.org.uk”