The site has around 35 caravans (Image: Getty)
The soaring has forced residents to live in a caravan ‘shanty town’ on a motorway layby in the shadow of one of the UK’s most popular tourist cities, it has been claimed.
Residents say they have nowhere left to go after being priced out of , and “would have been left homeless” without it.
, running water or showers, and rubbish can be seen piled up in corners on the site at New Stadium Road next to the busy M32.
An anonymous chef and market stall trader told The Sun how he ended up at the site five years ago after his previous flatmates moved in with their partners.
“My budget for a new place was about £700, and I wanted to get a place by myself, but as soon as I started looking, I realised that just wasn’t going to happen.”
He said up to 35 people were invited to flat viewings at the same time which could lead to bidding wars, and depsite raising his budget from the £550 plus bills he’d previously been paying, he couldn’t afford it.
Bristol is one of the most expensive cities to live in the UK (Image: Getty)
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“From that moment I knew I wouldn’t be able to find a place in Bristol. That night I went and bought a caravan. I if I didn’t buy a caravan because I only had three days left.
“Locals moan but it’s too expensive to rent. I stay here just because we haven’t been moved on. Other places you just get moved on every three or four weeks by the council.”
One of the most common jobs for residents on the site, where there are currently around 35 caravans, is working as a delivery driver.
In October Immigration Enforcement carried out a raid at caravan city, and the Home Office confirmed 13 people had overstayed their permitted leave, two were in breach of their visa conditions and two had breached their immigration bail conditions.
Bristol has the , a stark contrast to the nearby area of Clifton Down, where the suburb of Stoke Bishop was named as of the most sought-after by Savills.
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The site is just a few miles away from the affluent area of Clifton Down (Image: Getty)
Although you are legally allowed to park a caravan on the road, it’s not legal to permanently live and sleep in one, which requires planning permission.
Dot Wilcox who lives two miles away told The Sun: “The thing is, people have to live somewhere, and I know of at least three caravan sites like this in the city, but they’re not really near any houses, apart from the one at Clifton Downs, which probably isn’t very nice for some people.
“If they’re here working, I can’t see any problem with it and hope they are left alone.”
Bristol has one of the highest costs of living in the UK. While the average full-time salary is £38,990 a year, with a take-home wage of £2,545 a month, Spareroom shows rental of small flats starting at around £1,100 per month.