Heatwave hell for the homeless

Rough-sleepers tell how things get harder when the temperature goes up

- SAM HALL and ETHAN DAVIES

ROUGH sleepers have described being attacked in the street - and their battle for water during the 'hellish' heatwave.

Mark Gilmour says he was beaten up by a drink-fuelled yob in Salford as the sweltering temperatures 'bring out the idiots! Others across Manchester city centre describe going for hours without water as they scramble for shade under archways and outside shops.

It comes as the boss of one the city's major homelessness charities warned this week's heatwave could be 'just as deadly' as a freezing winter's night.

Big Issue seller Mr Gilmour said: "The hot weather kind of brings all the idiots out and when they've had a few drinks they can get aggressive and try and give you a hiding."

He added: "It happened to me." Greater Manchester and large parts of England are almost at the end of a four-day 'extreme heat' spell, with the Met Office issuing an amber weather warning.

Temperatures hit 31°C in our region on Thursday (August 11), and will hover around the 30-mark until today.