Migrants are living in illegal tent shanty towns – while working as delivery drivers for global brands like Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.
The Daily Mail has discovered instances of delivery workers for all three brands living in homeless encampments in the capital this week.
At the largest such camp, under a bridge in fashionable Shoreditch, east London, we saw several delivery riders setting off for or returning from work while living in squalid conditions without access to running water.
Several stashed their distinctive Deliveroo or Uber Eats food satchels under pieces of cardboard before bedding down for the night.
On Tottenham Court Road, one of the nation’s busiest shopping hubs, a distinctive blue Deliveroo bag had been placed outside a series of tents housed by migrants.
Meanwhile drivers for rival brand Just Eats were seen living in an idyllic park in north London.
Our exposure of the Shoreditch camp, which has doubled in size in just two months, comes just a week after a Daily Mail investigation into a similar tent town close to Euston station which has been allowed to fester for over three years.
At least 12 men, mostly thought to originate from Sudan in east Africa, are living in the makeshift village featuring tents set up on wooden pallets – to keep them from being soaked by now non-existent rain.
The Daily Mail has discovered instances of delivery workers for Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats living in homeless encampments across London – the largest being a set up under a bridge in Shoreditch (pictured)
A new camp has cropped up at Clissold Park, where a number of riders remain cramped into two tents
Tents and bike on Tottenham Court Road
Furniture – chairs, a chest of drawers and even mirrors – apparently scavenged from items dumped in the street complete the sense of this being a semi-permanent home.
The camp, on private land owned by Network Rail, seems more akin to the notorious ‘Jungle’ in Calais than the heart of east London’s thriving social scene.
But the camp is just yards – a corner away – from the buzz of Brick Lane which is thronged with bars and restaurants, many of which use the takeaway delivery services these squatters work for.
One such delivery rider, Ibrahim Mohammed, 26, from Sudan, was happy to talk to us but declined to have his picture taken – as he fears he may lose his job if his circumstances are known. He has lived at the filthy site for a year while working for Uber Eats.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘It was three years ago that I came to the UK. Everyone here is from the same country, Sudan. They are from the north of the country.
‘I now work for Uber Eats. You will see a lot of people on the [delivery] bikes here.
‘You do have to show an ID and register to work [as a delivery rider], but some people use their friend’s account too.
‘It’s hard living here to tell you the truth. It’s hard. How are you going to take a shower, for example?
‘The council doesn’t really help [find a flat] bro. I don’t have any family here, nobody in this country.
‘I’ve got some friends here. It’s horrible, but for many people we have no choice.’
Rider Ibrahim Mohammed, who told the Daily Mail that it’s common for migrants to ‘use their friend’s account’ when undertaking work as a delivery driver for big brands
At Clissold Park in Stoke Newington, men of North African origin left rubbish and clothing strewn across the ground of the park, which is brimming with young parents taking their children out for the day
Other tent residents, when approached, refused to discuss their circumstances or jobs, and grew angry and even aggressive at being asked.
Local residents meanwhile say the site has led to an influx of rats after containers of food brought by charities have been dumped around the site, alongside a build up of human excrement.
Peter Shannon, 62, said: ‘I don’t think people would be too pleased if they found out where their food is coming from. Most of these blokes are off their head on crack.
‘It’s difficult because you know they need somewhere to live, but the current set up is like some sort of slum.
‘There’s a lot of drugs and shouting going on. You see broken glass everywhere, things dumped and people urinating.
‘It was a popular short cut to Cheshire Street. But a lot of folks walk around it now to avoid the madness. You’ve got people screaming there and all sorts, off their heads.’
Another resident, a mother-of-two, said: ‘I avoid that area now for our safety. I also can’t bear the smell.
‘The men seem to be taken away over Christmas and housed somewhere, but they always come back.
‘The council doesn’t seem to do anything about it long term.’
Locals are now voicing their concern over the sites, which they say have attracted an influx of rats due to dumped containers of food and a build up of human excrement
But another local man said he wasn’t bothered about the tents and that he hoped the situation would be ‘resolved for the homeless’.
He added: ‘There is a human side to this that is overlooked by a lot of people. They are suffering and should be given better help.’
We found a second site three miles to the north at Clissold Park in Stoke Newington where a number of riders were cramped into two tents.
The men, of North African origin, left rubbish and clothing strewn across the ground of the park, which is brimming with young parents taking their children out for the day.
One of the men, when asked about working as a delivery rider, said: ‘So what? No photo, no photo, no photo!’
The migrants are believed to use their friend’s accounts on delivery apps so they can pretend to work legally.
Last week the Daily Mail revealed a large ‘tent village’ at the top of Tottenham Court Road, where dozens of migrants are camping out.
Colombian national Cesar Rodriguez, 49, who lives in a tent at the site after losing his cash in hand job as a cleaner, said: ‘The government need to be more fair in who gets to stay.
‘They are still working on my status and it means I cannot work [legally].
‘But they are doing so much for foreigners who don’t care about this great country. The new foreigners coming here are taking the p***.
‘English people can’t even get accommodation. There are just too many foreign people. Some of them have had to resort to living here.’
A series of homeless ‘shanty villages’ were discovered throughout London – including a row of 30 ‘beds’ on Europe’s busiest shopping street.
Shocking footage taken by the Daily Mail revealed dozens of men slumped on the pavement outside John Lewis on Oxford Street.
Elsewhere in the capital, our investigation previously revealed tent encampments in Royal Docks, Edgware Road, Finsbury Park and Tottenham.
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the encampment and are working with the people who are sleeping rough there.
A spokesperson for Deliveroo, which has vowed to investigate the claims, said the platform takes a ‘zero tolerance approach to illegal work’
‘Each person we have spoken to has an assigned outreach worker, who offers advice and support including how to access housing options that are available to them.
‘Very few issues have been raised with us about anti-social behaviour associated with the encampment.
‘However, anything that is raised is discussed at our bi-weekly multi agency meeting about the site and then acted on accordingly.
‘We understand residents’ concerns about the site and the wellbeing of the people living there, and we want to reassure them that we are offering support.
‘Rough sleeping is not just about a lack of housing. It often involves complex challenges, including trauma and health issues, and it takes time for support workers to build trust and help people move forward.’
A Deliveroo spokesman said: ‘We are extremely concerned to hear these reports and take these claims seriously. We have requested further information to investigate these, and we encourage anyone affected to contact us directly.
‘We take a zero tolerance approach to illegal working on our platform. All riders, whether they are main account holders or substitutes, have to verify their Right to Work documents during the onboarding process, and before they can make any deliveries with Deliveroo.’
An Uber Eats spokesman said: ‘We have not seen any evidence that the deliveries described were related to Uber Eats orders.
‘We are deeply committed to tackling illegal work and the criminal networks who are often behind it.
‘This includes introducing industry-leading identity and video verification technology to combat illegal work.
‘We are continually improving our processes to prevent abuse of the platform and working closely with the government on this issue.’
A Just Eat spokesman said: ‘All couriers delivering on behalf of Just Eat must have the right to work in the UK. Last year we substantially strengthened our systems against abuse introducing daily facial recognition checks for couriers every single time they complete a run.
‘We continue to work closely with the Home Office and industry partners to identify and address any potential methods of evading checks, as well as collaborating on data sharing and enforcement.’
A Network Rail spokesman said: ‘We recognise the concerns raised by the local community about the encampment near the railway and support the council’s work to engage with those on site.
‘Our responsibility is the safe operation of the railway to make sure there is no impact on services or nearby infrastructure.’
