Labour Party councillors are being accused of failing to take action to remove a migrant camp on Park Lane, Mayfair.
Locals are fed up with the behaviour of Romanian squatters living in a tent city established on the UK’s poshest street four months ago.
Migrants from the camp, on the central reservation opposite the swanky Dorchester Hotel, have been caught defecating in public and holding loud drinking sessions into the early hours of the morning.
There have also been allegations about aggressive behaviour, incidents of stealing and organised begging.
When an Express reporter asked the Romanian group to respond to these claims, they angrily denied them, shouting they had the “right to be there.”
“If you have any questions, you should go to the council. We have permission to stay,” they added.
Following the migrants’ astonishing claims, two Conservative Party councillors, Paul Fisher and Tim Barnes, accused their Labour colleagues of failing to enforce a court order giving the local authority permission to remove the site.
“After months of demands from local Conservative councillors, TfL finally obtained a possession order from the courts in May,” they said in a statement to the Express.
“But it has failed to enforce it. This is not the first time we’ve seen tents in the borough.
“The Labour Council is concerned primarily with ‘outreach’.
“These tents have to go. They compromise sanitation, fire safety and the security of residents and visitors alike.
“They are a blemish on the reputation of our capital. Time for action and a permanent solution.”
Westminster City Council rejected both the migrants’ claim that they had been allowed to stay and the Tory councillors’ suggestion that it had not been swift enough in tackling the settlement established on land owned by Transport for London.
“The central reservation of Park Lane is not a safe place for anybody to live and we’re concerned about the welfare of those sleeping there,” a spokesperson said.
“However, we are clear that the antisocial behaviour associated with this encampment is unacceptable.
“We have supported TfL with their recent site clearances and wider enforcement action. TFL have recently obtained a new possession order and are working to obtain the writ of possession through the courts. We’ll work with TfL to make sure this happens as quickly as possible.
“The City Council, our charity partners, TfL, and London-wide rough sleeping teams all regularly visit the people on Park Lane. Our support services are comprehensive and there is no reason a person should have to sleep rough – on this site or anywhere else in the city. “
It’s not the first time London Conservatives have clashed with Labour over the Park Lane camp.
Last month, London mayor Sadiq Khan responded to a question from an upset Londoner asking for the removal of “unhygienic and unsafe” camp by saying: “Migrants and refugee communities face specific barriers to participating in and contributing to life in London, including accessing employment and housing opportunities.
“The Mayor’s position is that London has always been a city that welcomes migrants and provides sanctuary to those who need it. The Mayor is clear that we draw huge strength from the contribution of migrants and refugees who make London their home.”
His answer provoked an angry response from his opposite number in the capital’s assembly Susan Hall.
“I don’t think pooing in the street is the sort of contribution Londoners expect migrants to be making to our city, and I am shocked by the gall of this man to somehow play down the antisocial behaviour gripping Park Lane as ‘enrichment’,” she said.
She added: “It’s disgusting, it’s illegal, and above all else it is not what taxpayers expect to see in the centre of our city. The fact that Sadiq Khan can’t see that speaks volumes about his priorities.”
