Controversial ‘pod-home’ estate is turning our quaint town into a sordid drug pit – even the graveyard has needle bins

IN the ancient graveyard of Camborne Parish Church, neatly-labelled metallic bins urge drug addicts to deposit their used needles inside.

Pinned on the trees are further signs that read ‘no camping’, meant to discourage the flock of rough sleepers who used to pitch their tents in the grounds overnight.

Wayne Perry

Wayne Perry

Wayne Perry

Wayne Perry

It is a stark reminder of the desperate problems faced by the pretty Cornish town, where a fresh war of words has erupted over the decision to introduce into a car park just steps away from the town centre.

Eighteen of the mini-homes – which provide a bed, shower and cooking facilities – were installed three years ago, in response to the growing number of street sleepers in Camborne and nearby towns Redruth and Truro.

But while homeless residents insist they provide a vital refuge, furious locals claim they have led to a spike in street-drinking, drug taking and anti-social behaviour.

One local trader, who did not want to be named in fear of reprisals, told The Sun: “I’ve experienced a rise in shoplifting and have had my window smashed.

“Crime here has seen a huge increase in the past couple of years, which could be down to the pods.

“Moving them further away from the town would be an ideal solution.”

Just a stone’s throw from the trendy holiday hotspot St Ives, Camborne was once a rich mining town, but now relies on visitors to its bustling high street, where many of the shops are independent.

But business owners fear the pods – guarded by security who do not allow alcohol on site – attract anti-social behaviour that spills on to nearby streets and scares away tourists.

Indeed, on the day The Sun visited, drinkers clutching cans of lager were gathering in Commerical Square and at the bus station.

Shopper Colin Richards, 80, told us: “The town has changed over the years and there does seem to be more anti-social behaviour.

“It is a big risk coming here, especially at nighttime, when it’s a very dangerous place.

“On the one hand the pods at the car park are somewhere for them to go and they keep people out of the doorways in the town centre, but the council are bringing more people here.

“If they were moved it would bring the problem to another town, so I don’t know what the answer is.

“What we don’t want is for people to be discouraged from visiting the town centre.”

Wayne Perry

Wayne Perry

Angela Hatherell is director at CREATE Contemporary Crafts Hub, which runs crafts, pottery and fuse glass classes and rents studio space.

She said: “We’re based by Commercial Square, which is where a lot of homeless gather in large groups, more people than before.

“Over the past year it seems to have got worse. They’re drinking, fighting and quite often I think they’re taking drugs or dealing drugs.

“I’ve seen a couple of fights, and it is quite intimidating.

“Sometimes we have vulnerable groups of people coming here – do a lot of work in the community – and have groups here and people bringing their children.

“We also get gangs of teens, or even younger, loitering in the doorway at the back of the studio banging on the door and shouting, and that’s quite intimidating too.”

However, she adds: “As far as the pods are concerned, I don’t know much about that.

“But moving the pods is not the answer. They have to be somewhere and moving the problem is not addressing the root cause of the problem.

“We started running courses here in 2021, and I don’t remember is being this bad before.”

Up in arms

The introduction of the pod estate has divided locals, with some going so far as to back an online petition that now has 362 signatures.

Samantha Hussey, who launched the petition on Change.org, wrote: “I am a resident of Camborne and like many others, I am concerned about the safety of our town centre.

“Rosewarne car park, once a regular car park, has become a hosting ground for homeless pods. This has significantly impacted the sense of security, discouraging people from visiting the town centre due to fear.”

While she acknowledged supporting the homeless was “crucial”, she believes housing the pods in the town is damaging local businesses.

There were problems in Camborne before I moved here, but people assume whatever happens now are down to the pods

Pod resident AJ

She wrote: “Our shared objective is a safer Camborne where residents and visitors can feel secure around the clock.

“For this reason, we call upon the local council to remove the homeless pods from the Rosewarne car park and consider alternative solutions like adequate housing facilities or established local shelters.”

Councillor James Ball, the town mayor, revealed how one lout had deliberately jumped on the back of his wheelchair and broken it.

He said: “It is an issue in the town. We have a huge problem in Commercial Square and in town generally with shoplifting and street drinking.

“It’s not necessarily the people in the pods, but the hangers on.”

Shocking poverty

The most deprived neighbourhood in Cornwall and one of the poorest towns in the UK, Camborne has long battled low unemployment.

But a shocking report last year revealed the true extent of the problem, with almost one in three children growing up in poverty.

Research conducted by the charity Action for Children found that 5,099 children in the constituency were living in poverty in 2021/22, which represented 30.4 per cent.

Last year, analysis by Shelter found Bristol had the highest number of people without a home in the South West, with 3,200 people homeless, followed by Cornwall where 1,900 people are homeless and Plymouth with 880.

Wayne Perry

Wayne Perry

Pod resident AJ became homeless having grown up in care.

He was previously living at Chi Winder, a day centre nearby in Redruth that provides temporary housing for people experiencing homelessness.

AJ was asked to leave for reasons he chose not to reveal.

The 25-year-old then spent almost three weeks living in nearby woods before his social worker secured a home in one of the pods, four months ago.

AJ said: “I’ve been on benefits for most of my life.

“Living in one of the pods is good, it’s homely.

“It has a shower, toilet, a microwave and a bed, but it’s ok.

“The pods and people who live there are being blamed for things which happen in the town but it’s not us who are involved.

“There were problems in Camborne before I moved here, but people assume whatever happens now are down to the pods.

“But there are other people all over town, using alcohol and every kind of drug, it’s not down to us.”

‘The situation is dire’

Helen Trevaskis founded the Street Draw project to raise awareness of homelessness and to raise funds for St Petrocs homeless charity in nearby Truro.

It hosts exhibitions of people’s drawings, inspired by features or people in the town.

Helen, 57, said: “The pods play a role for people who aren’t ready to take on the responsibility of an apartment or a house, or if there isn’t any social housing available.

“I wish they didn’t play a role but we are where we are.

Wayne Perry

Wayne Perry

“There is a considerable problem with homelessness in Cornwall and as a country, but there are a number of factors here that makes the situation really, really challenging.

“The pandemic had a big influence on the situation in Cornwall. We had people moving to Cornwall and relationship breakdowns because of mental health and unemployment.

“Similar to other places in Cornwall, you do see people rough sleeping in Camborne.

“Ultimately, we have problems at every level, but the biggest thing we can do is to build more homes for people, and provide more social housing. Everybody deserves a home, somewhere to live.

“It might be that someone moves from another country to work here as a surgeon, and they can’t afford housing here.

“The situation in Cornwall is dire. We’re one of the poorest regions in Europe, but if you don’t tackle the root problems and the social and economic poverty, you’re not going to solve the problems that you see on the street.”

It’s not necessarily the people in the pods, but the hangers on

Mayor James Ball

Cornwall Council introduced the pods at the height of the pandemic in response to an unprecedented rise of homeless people.

It says it plans to remove them in 18 months.

The sites, including one in Truro of 21 pods, are managed around the clock and residents must agree to terms and conditions.

A council spokesperson said: “There is no evidence to suggest that the anti-social behaviour in Camborne is linked to the residents at the accommodation in Rosewarne car park.”

“The site is managed 24 hours per day 7 days per week. Residents are risk assessed before moving into the accommodation and they receive support with moving on from homelessness into long term homes.

“Residents sign terms and conditions including acceptable behaviours both on the site and the wider area. Where evidence is available, we will investigate any tenancy breaches and take appropriate action including eviction. 

“There is a lot of work ongoing to tackle antisocial behaviour in Camborne through the Safer Cornwall partnership, including £340,000 of investment from the Safer Streets scheme.”

Members of the public are urged to report any crimes or anti-social behaviour to Devon and Cornwall Police.

Wayne Perry

Wayne Perry