Homeless people who keep their belongings in shop doorways in Oxford have been threatened with £2,500 fines for breaching antisocial behaviour laws.
Oxford city council have pinned notices to the possessions of rough sleepers in the university city, claiming that abandoned bags posed a hazard by blocking fire exits.
The notices said the council felt the conduct was 'having a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality'.
Those who break antisocial behaviour laws can be handed fines of up to £2,500.
However, Green Party councillor and the leader of Oxford city council's Green group, David Thomas told the Guardian it was an 'outrageous' bid to 'intimidate' the homeless.
"Using antisocial legislation to sweep the homeless off the streets whilst refusing to re-open a 50-bed homeless hostel in the city centre shows how skewed the priorities of Oxford city's Labour-run council have become," Thomas said.
"There a pattern here. It's only a couple of years ago that Oxford Labour tried to fine the homeless for sleeping rough in the city centre. It took an alliance of student activists, Liberty and the Greens to make them see sense that time."
However, Oxford city council said it was committed to helping the homeless.
Posting on Twitter, it said bags had been left blocking fire escapes in Cornmarket Street and they posed a 'risk to those working inside'.
The council said in a statement: "We work closely with homelessness charities to support homeless people in Oxford, and every year we spend £1.4m to fund a wide range of outreach and support services."
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Source: The BBC and The Guardian
Featured Image Credit: PA Images
