A quiet patch of grass beside Exeter Street became the scene of a deeply upsetting encounter today when three people living rough were asked to leave.
An eyewitness said three police vehicles were in attendance at the grassed area near where the Beryl Bikes are parked, where a man and a couple had been staying.
The people at the site told the Plymouth Post they had been asked to move on, with their makeshift shelter raising concerns about an unauthorised encampment.
They said they had put a tarpaulin over the area simply to protect themselves and their belongings from the rain.
The couple, who said they had travelled down from Torquay, told us they had come to Plymouth because they wanted to get away from drugs and antisocial behaviour they said they had experienced there.
They said they had hoped to find somewhere safer to stay.
Instead, they found themselves being told they could no longer remain where they were.
The couple were visibly upset as they gathered their belongings.
At one point, the woman rested her head on her partner’s shoulder as they stood together, a poignant moment between two people facing what appeared to be very uncertain circumstances.
They told the Plymouth Post they did not know where they were expected to go next.
The police presence appeared to bring the makeshift camp to an end. Officers were carrying out their duties, and it’s clear this isn’t a situation anyone particularly wants to be in for those enforcing it as much as for those it affects. But for the three people who were moved on, there was no obvious alternative place to stay.
The people involved told us they simply wanted somewhere to sleep, stay dry and keep away from the problems they said they had been trying to escape.
Their situation is a reminder that behind the tents, tarpaulins and makeshift shelters are real people, relationships and lives.
Photographs © Wayne Perry / Plymouth Post
