Inside migrant tent city set up just yards away from dismantled homeless camp

A “tent city” housing homeless people and migrants has been reestablished just yards from its original spot after a judge ordered bailiffs to clear it.

Dozens of men who had been living in tents for nearly a year in St Peter’s Square, , were forcibly removed after the local authority won a legal battle against their presence.

But within hours of being dispersed, many of the residents simply moved themselves just 150 yards away to reestablish their tents outside the Midland Hotel.

The episode has left many locals shocked at the ease with which the men, many of whom are , were able to circumnavigate the legal system after the council won a hard-fought and protracted case to remove them.

Cleaner Emma Wilkinson, 52 told : “Some of them are a bit of a nuisance and it seems we can’t get rid of them.

“Now they are by the Midland instead of the central library. It’s a joke.”

Another cast doubt on how destitute the inhabitants were, despite enduring a cold winter in tents in the city centre.

The person who did not want to be named said: “They claim to be destitute but then I have seen them go to cafes and plug in four smartphones to charge. They seem to have money.”

Others were more sympathetic, claiming that their eviction and the destruction of their tents was not how people in their circumstances should be treated.

Office worker Jackie Hughes, 45 said: “I saw them being turfed out. We should not be treating refugees like this.

“We should be looking after them better and giving them a warmer welcome.”

Earlier this month, City Council finally got permission from a court to remove the makeshift dwelling which became known locally as the “red tent camp”, formed initially as a protest.

The encampment eventually became a permanent residence for the homeless, many of whom were but Judge Nigel Bird ruled that their presence meant that the square meant that it “is not a safe, suitable or sanitary place.”

The ease with which occupants were able to reestablish their tents seemingly shocked many of the residents themselves.

Hisham Fitir, 35, said he came to the UK to flee fighting in his native .

He said: “They must have spent a lot of time and money to move us – and we just came here.

“It’s crazy that we have just moved from the square to this hotel. It seems like you have a mad justice and immigration system in this country.”

Another added: “The immigration system here seems so crazy and confusing. It’s a joke we have been moved from the square to another tent camp. It seems madness.”

A council statement issued hours after the evictions said: “The court order instructing people in the St Peter’s Square camp to leave the area was carried out successfully this morning.

“This brings to an end the encampment which has been in place there for several months, with fluctuating numbers, occupied by people who are refugees who have been granted the right to remain in the country.

“We would reiterate that help is at hand for any Manchester resident facing homelessness. The Council’s homelessness service works hard alongside a fantastic network of voluntary and community sector organisations in the city.

“But as we have consistently stated, this informal camp in St Peter’s Square was not a safe, sanitary or suitable place from which to access support. Nor does camping in a public space accelerate their homelessness application or gain them any other advantage.

“The possession order was specific to St Peter’s Square – and the issues there – to ensure it was reasonable and proportionate. While those specific issues have now been addressed, we remain clear that such encampments anywhere in the city are not in anyone’s best interests and are not a suitable place from which to access support.”