THE homeless crisis has got so bad that rough sleepers are moving out to the suburbs.

A couple have set up camp in Benfield Valley in Hangleton, with others expected to follow.

Sam Fisher, 32, and fellow rough sleeper Jan have tents in the park where the average house price is £447,000.

She said she made the decision to move to the suburbs three months ago because being homeless in the centre of Brighton had become dangerous.

However, residents have complained about antisocial behaviour and litter in the park. In particular they have complained about people in groups drinking at the camp and human faeces littering the area.

A dog walker, who didn’t want to be named, said she had seen eight to ten people at the camp in previous weeks. The 49-year-old said: “About three months ago these people started putting up tents and living there. Then some others have come and they are not the most desirable of people.

“Music late at night and drinking. There is also a car park, by the Greenleas football pitch, where people are driving in drunk to pick them up or drop them off.

“There is human faeces everywhere because the toilets are closed. Lots of people have phoned the council and nothing has been done at all.”

Ward councillor Dawn Barnett said she has received numerous complaints.

She said: “When I went to visit one of the tents, the dwellers were quite nice people. They did say they were going to move but they didn’t, and then another very large tent went up.”

When The Argus visited yesterday there were two trailer tents and a washing line near the main footpath. There was also faeces in the grass near the camp. Ms Fisher said it there was only two of them living there at the moment. She said they would move on when they are housed. She denied there were any problems with antisocial behaviour.

She said: “We have had no problems since I have been here. We only had a party on bonfire night and Halloween – that’s why there is the second tent. We only have a digital radio and it is not very loud.”

She also said they use public toilets. A city council spokesman said: “The land is leased to a company called Benfield Investments and it is their responsibility under their lease to deal with encampments. We were made aware of the situation by the police, but have not received any formal complaints from local residents.”

Benfield Investments Ltd did not respond to a request for comment.

‘IT IS SAFER HERE THAN IN TOWN’

A FIELD in suburban Hangleton is home for Sam Fisher.

The 32-year-old has been living in a trailer tent with her partner, Jan, for months.

She had been living in a two bedroom property in Burgess Hill, before the rent became too much in April.

She said: “I had a two bedroom property but could not afford it with the bedroom tax added, so I moved to Brighton as there were more homeless services here.”

The streets of Brighton at night are filled with rough sleepers, but Sam has opted for a field in the middle of the suburbs.

She said: “None of us choose to live this way but we have to do the best we can. We hope to stay here till we are housed as I prefer not to sleep in the shop doorways in town. It’s not safe.”

The camp in Benfield has a rather homely feel, including a lawn mower, a washing line and even a green council wheelie bin. They are supported by outreach services at St Mungo’s and visit food bank The Purple People Kitchen in Portslade every Friday. They have showers at Brighton Housing Trust’s First Base day centre in Montpelier Place, Brighton. Charity Off The Fence provided them with sleeping bags and clothes.

Sam said she wants to be housed and would be willing to take accommodation for a single person but finds herself on a long waiting list.

Until then, Benfield Valley remains home. “We were living in another field nearby but got moved on as the land was owned by Highways England.

“As far as we can gather this land is owned by Sainsbury’s (it is in fact owned by the city council and leased by Benfield Investment Ltd) and we have been here a couple of months. They seem quite happy for us to be here and we try to keep it to a low level of rubbish.”

But residents have complained about antisocial behaviour in the valley which extends from the South Downs deep into Hove. Dog walkers have also complained about their pets finding human faeces in the tall grass.

Sam rubbished the claims and said she has even had positive feedback from people. She said: “Schoolchildren tend to have a look, and one lady checked to see I had enough food. She walks through here from work and says she feels safe with someone here.

“We had friends around at a party on Halloween and fireworks nights, so that’s why there is another tent. We only have a digital radio and it is not very loud. We try to keep the noise down.

“The faeces is a friend’s dog. The toilets are closed but we use the public toilets at Sainsbury’s.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said they have had no reports of any specific antisocial behaviour incidents but had received a report in October notifying them that a tent had been in Benfield Valley for the past two months. The police then informed Brighton and Hove City Council as the force believed the local authority owned the land.

THE CRISIS IN NUMBERS

BRIGHTON and Hove proportionally is the city with the second highest number of homeless people outside of London.

According to homeless charity Shelter, the city council recorded 4,218 people as rough sleeping or living in temporary accommodation – that is one in every 69 people.

Brighton and Hove City Council was pipped to first place, outside of London, by Luton, and ranked 20th nationally out of the top 50 local authorities for homelessness.

There is a lack of affordable housing and the city is known to attract homeless people from other parts of the country.

Speaking to The Argus when the figures were revealed this month, Andy Winter, chief executive of Brighton Housing Trust, said the statistic was a tragedy.

He said: “The figures do not surprise me.

“In one of the richest countries in the world these figures highlight the human tragedy of homelessness as well the need for a radical change in government policy.”