Rough-sleeping Eastern Europeans have been pictured camping at a memorial to victims of the 7/7 London bombings – eating dinner off the plaque and even using the site as a makeshift toilet – on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
The homeless group were branded 'deeply disrespectful' by survivors after being caught on camera cluttering the Hyde Park memorial with their sleeping bags and suitcases, seemingly oblivious to what it represents.
One witness told how a mourner had gone to pay their respects early one morning only to be confronted by a 'rubbish heap' at the memorial Prime Minister David Cameron is due to visit next week.
Disrespectful: A group of around a dozen rough-sleeping Eastern Europeans have been camping at a memorial to victims of the 7/7 London bombings. They have sparked outrage among campaigners after dumping sleeping bags and cases on the Hyde Park memorial
Campsite: The homeless group are said to have been eating dinner off the plaque and even using the memorial site as a makeshift toilet
Anniversary events are being held to remember the victims of the 2005 suicide bomb attacks on three Tube trains and a bus in Tavistock Square.
The photographs have sparked outrage among survivors and families of the victims.
Jacqui Putnam, who was on a train at Edgware Road that killed six people, told the Evening Standard: 'This is shocking behaviour and deeply offensive to the families of those who died and the survivors. It does not matter where these people are from, this is obviously a memorial and they are being deeply disrespectful. More needs to be done to protect the memorial.'
Witnesses claim the group of around a dozen Eastern Europeans were at the memorial all last week, dumping their sleeping bags, cases and black sacks overnight before moving on first thing the next morning in an attempt to evade the authorities.
One onlooker said: 'They were there when this poor person went to pay their respects to the dead early one morning. What he saw was basically a rubbish heap and the rough sleepers did not move. They seem ignorant of what the memorial means.'
The memorial has 52 steel pillars to represent each of the victims of the bomb attacks.
Packing up: One witness told how a mourner had gone to pay their respects early one morning only to be confronted by a 'rubbish heap' at the memorial Prime Minister David Cameron is due to visit next week
Anniversary events are being held to remember the victims of the suicide bomb attacks on three Tube trains and a bus in Tavistock Square
Time to go: Witnesses claim the group of around a dozen Eastern Europeans were at the memorial all last week, dumping their sleeping bags, cases and black sacks overnight before moving on first thing the next morning in an attempt to evade the authorities
Nick Taylor, chief executive of the Survivors Assistance Network which help victims of terrorism, said: 'Victims of terrorism have suffered from a crime which is ultimately intended to harm society. They need a special level of respect.
'Commemorations such as that planned to remember the tenth anniversary of the London bombings and the memorial in Hyde Park are very important.
'The behaviour of the group is disappointing and I would encourage everyone to respect this important monument and join together in commemoration next week.'
Cllr Nickie Aiken, Westminster City Council's cabinet member for public protection, said: 'All memorials should be treated with sensitivity and respect, but this one even more so with the tenth anniversary of the London terror attacks just a few days away.
Oblivious: One onlooker said of the homeless group: 'They were there when this poor person went to pay their respects to the dead early one morning. What he saw was basically a rubbish heap and the rough sleepers did not move. They seem ignorant of what the memorial means'
'Appalled': Cllr Nickie Aiken, Westminster City Council's cabinet member for public protection, said: 'All memorials should be treated with sensitivity and respect, but this one even more so with the tenth anniversary of the London terror attacks just a few days away
Westminster City Council has notified the Royal Parks Police and Immigration Enforcement officers to address the issue 'as soon as possible'
'I was appalled when I saw the photographs. As soon as we knew about the problems, the council notified Royal Parks Police and Immigration Enforcement officers, bringing together the right agencies to address the issue as soon as possible.
'My thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims of 7/7 and hope these pictures do not cause further upset at what must be a very difficult time.'
The latest photographs have emerged less than a month after it was revealed that more than 70 migrants are now said to be sleeping rough close to nearby Marble Arch - with some of them, believed to be Eastern Europeans, using a new statue to rest against.
The She-Guardian statue by acclaimed Russian artist Dashi Namdakov was erected opposite Marble Arch only last month but now has luggage and mattresses littered around its base.
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