One of the capital’s most famous tourist spots has become plagued with drugs, homelessness and crime forcing some workers to protect themselves.
Police attend Covent Garden last week after reports of a stabbing (Image: Shutterstock)
A popular tourist and nightlife hotspot of London has become a “zombie zone” plagued by crime, homelessness and drug-dealing, leaving terrified shop staff resorting to carrying weapons to protect themselves, it is reported.
Covent Garden is one of the capital’s biggest visitor attractions, packed with theatres, luxury restaurants and the prestigious Royal Opera House. But families and revellers coming to enjoy the sights and sounds of London are now facing being confronted by a horde of homeless people lolling barely awake in the street outside rows and rows of makeshift tents.
Sadly, many of the destitute appear to show the signs of substance abuse, with many incapacitated on the street by midday as they become easy targets for drug dealers. On Wednesday, the popular area was rocked by a crazed knife attack when four men were allegedly stabbed.
Homelessness, of course, is all too common on the streets of Labour’s Britain, but new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to end rough sleeping at the “earliest opportunity”.
(FILE IMAGE) A couple walk past homeless tents in Covent Garden (Image: Getty)
In Covent Garden, that opportunity couldn’t come soon enough for both those on the streets and the unfortunate souls who have to live and work in the area alongside the crime and degradation.
The Daily Mail reports one worker revealed she kept an “eight-inch knife” under her desk. She told the paper: “I keep this because I’m scared. I don’t know what happened. This place used to be nice.”
According to the Met Police, 514 crimes were reported in the Holborn and Covent Garden area in the month of June alone. The figure marks a soaring 16.8% increase on 440 crimes which were reported six months before in January.
A barman at Do Mario’s Italian restaurant told the Mail that at night and in the early morning, the area was like “a zombie zone”, adding: “You take your life in your hands walking after dark.”
Visitors walk past a homeless man in Covent Garden (Image: Getty)
Another worker said the homeless were “not the problem” but he added that the “junkies” were. He said they would steal so they could “sell it so they can feed their habit”.
One shopworker told the paper she had been held at knife point. She said: “He just pulled out a knife and said, ‘give me what you’ve got’, in the middle of London.
“A lot of it around here is drug related and it’s bad. Crack, heroin, it’s all over this area.”
Met’s Chief Superintendent Jason Stewart, who leads policing in the area, said he understood concerns relating to Wednesday’s stabbing incident. He said: “We can also reassure the community that tackling all violent and anti-social behaviour remains a top priority for the Met.
“Our neighbourhood policing approach focuses relentlessly on solving issues like neighbourhood crime that matter to people in Camden. We have recently seen a reduction of almost a quarter in neighbourhood crime in Camden.”