STREET OF SHAME
IMAGES SHOW BODIES SPRAWLED ACROSS CITY CENTRE STREET IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, AS EXPERT WARNS OF SPICE DRUG BLIGHT
SHOCKING video footage has captured a group of people slumped and passed out on one of Cardiff’s busiest streets in broad daylight.
In the footage four people are seemingly “immobilised” and unable to stand on St Mary Street on Wednesday afternoon.
MJ Reed, 38, shot the disturbing footage which shows one person sprawled on the street and another three slumped against the wall. Passers-by are seen rushing to help the group who MJ said were unable to speak due to the state they were in.
The city resident who runs the Welcome 2 Cardiff Youtube channel, added: “They couldn’t control their own bodies. It left them immobilised.
“One was collapsing on the street. I had to hold him up. I was trying to get him to sit down. He was clearly on something. I had to hold him or he would have fallen and damaged his face.”
Commenting on the video, Nick Shepley, a drugs and alcohol psychotherapist at Cardiff Living Room recovery centre said: “The most likely cause is Spice or alcohol but it is difficult to be certain.”
Spice is a powerful synthetic substance known as the “zombie drug” for the state it leaves users in. Previously a legal high, the drug was banned last year amid fears over its rising use.
Mr Shepley added: “Spice is a very big problem amongst Cardiff’s homeless.
“The reality is that people take drugs and drink alcohol because they are trying to void the unpleasant realities of their lives and the place they are in. It’s great that members of the public are compassionate and caring enough to help people in the street, homeless or not.”
Superintendent Stephen Jones from South Wales Police said: “The footage appears to show the devastating effects that alcohol or drugs can have upon individuals. Those are also felt by an individual’s family and the wider community.
“When this type of suffering is exposed in this very public way, it is shocking for people to see and experience.
“These individuals will have been given the help they need by heath workers, and if alcohol or drugs are a factor, they will be signposted to avenues of support for drug and alcohol problems.
“It is vital that the community work with us and make a stand against the drug dealers who impose this misery upon others.
“Anybody who has information about drug dealing should contact police via 101. Alternatively they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Cardiff council leader Huw Thomas said: “The scenes portrayed in this video are disturbing and upsetting. We’ve seen scenes like it across many of the UK’s major cities so we are not alone in facing this problem. They do, however, also make plainly clear the sorts of complex issues the council faces as we try to help rough sleepers come off the streets.
“Obviously it’s not certain if the people in this video are all rough sleepers but we do know that our outreach teams are having to deal with these sorts of situations.
“The council is working hard to support people to come off the streets and since April this year we have helped 74 rough sleepers into accommodation.
“Of course this isn’t a simple or straightforward process as each individual has their own challenges and concerns which have to be worked through.
“Drug and alcohol abuse is foremost amongst these.
“We want to help people change their lives for the better and get them off the streets.
“We are determined, working with partners and concerned businesses and residents to solve this issue.”