HOW 'VAN DWELLERS' MOVED TO THE FRONT LINE OF THE UK HOUSING CRISIS

As increasing numbers of city residents live in roadside caravans to cope with soaring rents and the cost-of-living crisis, Express reporter ADAM TOMS visits the van-dwelling capital of the UK to meet its occupants... and the campaigners who say they are not welcome

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THE UK is in the midst of a major and prolonged housing crisis as council waiting lists spiral and homelessness skyrockets due to a lack of affordable properties to buy or rent. That may not be the view of our Prime Minister Keir Starmer who told a House of Commons committee last week that "lots of housing" exists for homeless Britons and asylum seekers but the Government's own latest figures show 131,140 people were trapped in temporary accommodation at the end of March, which is a 12% increase on the year before.

The situation has now become so bad that in places such as Brighton, Falmouth and Bristol, residents on the front line are living in vans and caravans on streets. It is thought there are now around 800 such homes scattered across Bristol, many of them well equipped, with air conditioning units, solar panels and CCTV but their arrival is also causing consternation among locals as the Express found on a recent visit to the city.

One site causing particular concern is close to the Downs, the city's historic parkland now home to a community of approximately 100 vans. Upon arrival, we find an endless row of caravans, none of which will soon be on the move. In fact, one large vacant-looking RV-style vehicle has documents stuck to its windscreen notifying its owner, wherever they may be, that it has been earmarked for destruction.

Darren, 63, one of the so-called van dwellers, who refrains from giving his surname, is parked near to a stunning view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The care worker, who specialises in mental health problems and addictions, tells the Express: "I separated from my partner and my two children and I just couldn't afford to live in a flat or a house."

Care-worker pay is among the lowest in the economy and around a quarter of the 1.7 million Britons working in the industry are on zero-hours contracts, according to government research.