Sinister ‘Frankenstein heroin’ ripping through ‘Drug capital of the South’… forcing homeless into shanty towns on beach

WITH its immense aureate beaches, humanities architecture and picturesque gardens, Bournemouth attracts millions of tourists each year.

As good arsenic being a summertime destination, the town, connected the confederate borderline of the picturesque region of Dorset, is simply a hive of enactment successful the winter, with its promenades acceptable to invited Christmas histrion stalls, crystal rinks and buzzing wintertime wonderlands.

But beneath the festive glow lies an uncomfortable truth.

Bournemouth has the highest fig of unsmooth sleepers successful the UK extracurricular of London, with galore facing caller dangers from the emergence of ‘Frankenstein’ drugs sweeping the nation.

Some 65 radical mislaid their lives successful the municipality - darkly dubbed the ‘drugs superior of the South’ - to overdoses this twelvemonth alone, compared to 34 past year, according to caller information from the Office for National Statistics.

And those who person braved beingness connected the thoroughfare property the shocking spike to the emergence of man-made nitazenes - synthetic drugs cooked up successful sinister Chinese labs, which are progressively being chopped with unsafe substances including heroin and cocaine.

As 1 Big Issue seller, Karl Burnes, tells The Sun: “I spot a batch of drugs maltreatment and I cognize rather a fewer radical who’ve died due to the fact that it’s mixed with stuff.

“Sometimes I’ll beryllium sitting here, and idiosyncratic volition travel on and accidental ‘what's-his-name’s conscionable died’ – it’s horrible. It’s truly sad.

“I cognize of six oregon 7 successful the past fewer weeks.

“People cognize drugs are being mixed, but they’re addicts, truthful they instrumentality it adjacent though it could beryllium mixed with fentanyl oregon with nitazenes. They request enactment to get disconnected the drugs.”

Just six miles away, successful the aforesaid territory of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Pool (BCP), is the millionaire’s playground of Sandbanks, wherever properties mean £1.2million. 

It is location to instrumentalist and histrion George Bruno Money, erstwhile Stoke City manager Tony Pulis, shot pundit Graeme Souness and TV presenter and interior decorator to the stars Celia Sawyer.

In 2022 authoritative authorities figures showed 64 radical were sleeping unsmooth successful the BCP area, the 3rd highest level successful the country, lone down Camden and Westminster.

Today that fig is believed to beryllium astatine slightest 72, galore of them substance abusers.

Many volition instrumentality their tents, sleeping bags and meagre belongings to a park, formation oregon underpass to structure from the acold wintertime weather.

In September, the contented came to a caput erstwhile a radical of stateless campers acceptable up a 'shanty town' connected the beach, sparking interest with residents and section authorities. 

Danger drug

MPs from each sides person called for enactment to code the nationalist drugs decease crisis, caused by the marketplace being flooded by nitazenes.

The almighty synthetic opioid, which is 50 times much almighty than fentanyl, has been linked to 230 UK deaths betwixt June 2023 and June this year.

Karl, 56, has witnessed first-hand the horrors risked by addicts.

The section nonmigratory became stateless erstwhile helium divided up with his spouse successful 2018.

He had been stateless for 7 months erstwhile different unsmooth sleeper dragged him to the level and kicked him repeatedly successful the caput successful a vicious, unprovoked attack. 

Big Issue seller Karl was near with life-threatening injuries including 9 fractures to his skull, shattered teeth and aggregate encephalon bleeds.

He says paramedics declared him dormant astatine the scene, but miraculously saved him. He was airlifted to infirmary and the parent of his 2 children was called to the infirmary to accidental goodbye.

But against each likelihood helium survived. After months successful infirmary healing from his injuries and learning to walk, speech and swallow again, Karl was housed connected his release.

And he’s present turned his beingness around. He sells the Big Issue and supplies copies for different vendors to sell, regularly chatting to Paul Gasciogne, who lives nearby.

Because helium has accommodation, helium sees his young teenage children doubly a week, but realises helium is 1 of helium is 1 of the fortunate ones.

“I cognize astir of the stateless radical present and they are bully arsenic gold,” says Karl.

“There needs to beryllium much accommodation for unsmooth sleepers and much support.

“There utilized to beryllium a stateless structure successful the municipality wherever you could wage astir £3 and get a bed, meal and an evening meal. Now determination isn’t one.

“I anticipation Bournemouth gets backmost to however it utilized to be. It was a bully spot to sojourn but with the shops closing and these issues a batch needs to done.”

Scott Harding, 43, was near stateless for 4 months successful the summer, aft his begetter became sick and they mislaid their home.

He told The Sun: “I wasn’t stateless by prime oregon done addiction oregon immoderate substance abuse, but I met galore bully radical who were.

“I witnessed idiosyncratic overdosing erstwhile I was surviving successful a structure connected the beach. Thankfully the paramedics arrived successful speedy time, it was an highly scary and tragic experience, and it surely drove location to maine conscionable however superior the contented is.

“I’ve noticed that successful Bournemouth and successful Boscombe the municipality has been blighted by drugs, beryllium that heroin oregon cocaine and immoderate of the much modern offshoots that are springing up.

“Even heroin is being infused and synthetically altered, truthful immoderate of the men and women who are addicted are not adjacent definite oregon alert what they’re taking, which compounds the misery and has a knock-on effect to everybody else, the NHS included.

“I’ve been connected a tumultuous journey, I’ve endured a chiseled deficiency of systemic support. It’s organisations similar We Are Humans and different organisations connected to the religion which person retained my consciousness of anticipation and faith.

“If it wasn’t for those organisations who knows wherever I would be.”

Andy Talbot is the laminitis of We Are Humans, predominantly a stateless charity, which besides runs a mums and kids meal nine and a pensioner’s luncheon club.

The foundation operates from a tiny café connected Sea Road, wherever it hands retired bread, blankets, tents and sleeping bags to the deprived and stateless successful the area. 

He says: “More than 20 years agone I became stateless erstwhile my household broke down, and thumbed a assistance connected the M6.

“The operator was going to Bournemouth, which is however I ended up here. I was stateless for a agelong clip and sold the Big Issue, truthful I saved up and got myself a bedsit.

“I utilized to spell to the reduced aisle and bargain sandwiches and vegetables, sound up a crockery and spell and provender stateless radical due to the fact that I knew what it was similar to beryllium stateless and alone.

“I wanted to prevention lives and marque that discomfort a spot easier.”

Saving lives

Now Andy dedicates his beingness to helping radical who’ve recovered themselves impoverished and with obscurity to slumber but connected the streets. 

When he’s not volunteering astatine We Are Humans, helium works arsenic an events worker, donating his wage to the foundation helium launched 2 years ago.

He besides works arsenic a spot manager for 3 blocks of bedsits, and done that relation has helped location 77 people.

But, contempt his efforts, Bournemouth remains successful the grip of a rough-sleeping crisis.

He says: “We are surviving successful the 4th astir deprived country successful the UK, 51 per cent are deprived and 49 per cent are precise affluent."

He adds: “This twelvemonth 65 radical successful the BCP country person died of drugs, and the twelvemonth isn’t over.

“Drugs are much readily disposable than ever. The decease complaint is due to the fact that of the nitazenes which drugs are being laced with. Drug addicts are fundamentally playing Russian roulette with their lives.

“I’ve seen radical overdose and been fixed the anti-overdose changeable 4 times, earlier going backmost down. 

“The drugs are mostly a side-effect of homelessness. 

“They clasp down a occupation to start, and past suffer it erstwhile they get dragged further into the mire, and with intelligence unwellness which often goes alongside these issues, it’s a vicious circle.

“We request much rehab facilities for radical to assistance them go valued members of society.”

Kevin Strudwick is the Business Crime Operations Manager for Bournemouth’s bustling municipality centre.

He runs a squad of 7 enforcement officers, employed to woody with anti-social behaviour successful Bournemouth.

He explains: “We evidently bash person galore stateless radical and unsmooth sleepers successful the municipality who make problems with anti-social behaviour, drunkenness and sleeping successful store doorways. 

“The officers volition travel round, aftermath them up, springiness them proposal and archer them wherever to spell for support.

“It’s got a batch worse, a batch of radical travel from different areas. If you’re connected the thoroughfare you mightiness arsenic good travel to Bournemouth due to the fact that it’s a seaside town, it’s a vacation destination and truthful radical thin to beryllium much generous.

“In the summertime we had a shanty municipality connected the beach, determination were tents going each the mode on and enforcement had to get them to determination on.

“It is simply a occupation and determination is assistance determination and accommodation, but they indispensable obey the rules, similar nary drinking, smoking, drug-taking oregon fighting.

“You tin talk to tourists who accidental the town’s gone downhill, and they wouldn’t travel backmost again, and section radical volition accidental they don’t travel into municipality immoderate more.

“We get targeted with London cause gangs and region lines cause gangs which the police are tackling and trying to find retired who these radical are, but the broadside effect is that determination are deaths, which is precise sad.

“We announcement definite radical aren’t connected the streets immoderate longer and you find retired from idiosyncratic similar Karl, the Big Issue seller, that they’ve died.

“It’s horrible. They’re somebody’s lad oregon somebody’s girl and they’re vulnerable, truthful idiosyncratic volition get attached to them, proviso them with the drugs and earlier you cognize it it’s retired of power and unfortunately, they die.

“Having said each that, the constabulary person been campaigning hard, Bournemouth is inactive a fantastic spot to travel for your holidays and has had a batch of concern recently. 

“The aged House of Fraser is being developed into apartments truthful radical who determination successful tin usage the cafes and bars and marque it much vibrant.”

David Allen, 85, is simply a section nonmigratory who thinks the Government should bash much to code the issues faced by the town.

He says: “Invariably I spot radical sleeping successful doorways oregon nether immoderate signifier of shelter.

“The question is wherever these radical tin beryllium moved to. It’s a bully happening if the stateless tin find a amended mode of living, they’re quality beings and radical mightiness person intelligence deficiencies, successful which lawsuit that should beryllium taken into account.

“From what I’ve work successful the papers it seems Bournemouth is 1 of the worst affected areas erstwhile it comes to drugs decease figures.

“Considering it’s expected to beryllium a reasonably affluent country successful narration to different ample areas it’s a pity the section authorities don’t person immoderate signifier of sympathy successful bid to assist.”

Cllr Kieron Wilson, Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regulatory Services astatine BCP Council, said: “The Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Street Outreach Service (BCPSOS) squad are undertaking further shifts during SWEP to promote everyone unsmooth sleeping, including those who are reluctant, to instrumentality up the connection of impermanent accommodation.

“After deactivation, the assembly and its partners volition proceed to enactment individuals into a scope of semipermanent lodging solutions.

"Last year, 33 radical benefited from this approach, reinforcing SWEP’s imaginable to permanently assistance radical disconnected the streets."