Drug use and rough sleepers found at city car park

A city council is considering bringing a dedicated security team to a car park after the BBC found evidence of drug taking and homeless people sleeping there.

George Street multi-storey car park in Hull was closed in April following a vehicle fire, with levels one and two reopening later that month.

Look North presenter Peter Levy visited the upper three that have remained closed on Wednesday and came across rough sleepers and needles from drug use.

Hull City Council said it "strongly condemns" the use of its car parks for anti-social and illegal behaviour and was looking into new safety measures.

In May, the city council said it was awaiting the results of laboratory tests on the wastewater generated from the fire before it could fully open the car park.

When entering on Wednesday, Levy stated it "reeks of cannabis" and came across homeless people who had been living on the upper floors.

One homeless man, who had been staying there for about a year, said it was "horrible" and "freezing", and that he had experienced items being thrown at him in the evenings.

"We're homeless, we haven't got anywhere else," one woman said, when asked why she chose to sleep there.

Among the strong smell of urine and cannabis were drink bottles, crisp packets and needles from drug use.

Hull City Council said it was "aware of the issues" and reassured users that it was "regularly structurally inspected and is safe to use".

The statement said: "We also work hard with our colleagues at Humberside Police to discourage anti-social and illegal behaviour across our city.

"We strongly condemn the use of our car parks, or any council facilities, for such activities and would call on any users or residents who see such behaviour to report it, so that it can be tackled."

A new repair and security plan was also "being considered" by the council to provide safe parking facilities, which could include a "dedicated security presence at all council-owned multi-storey car parks".

"This would implement regular patrols, visible staffing and closer monitoring of facilities to help deter anti-social behaviour and provide reassurance to customers.

"It would also include a comprehensive deep clean of the car park, once the repair works following the fire damage are complete, with repainting and widening of parking bays," the statement said.

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