With a third of London’s homeless now coming from eastern Europe, the film reports on the increasing social problems and tension on Britain’s streets.
Homeless people have long been a sad but familiar sight in London, but the opening up of Europe’s borders is creating a new wave of poverty on the streets. It’s estimated that a third of the city’s homeless are now from eastern European countries like Romania… lured by the prospects of a better life, but often exploited and left penniless without the documents needed to find work.
Evan Williams reports from London, and finds a startling contrast between the high-class boutiques and luxury car showrooms of the city’s West End, and the destitute living in their doorways. Elsewhere in the UK, migrants are crammed into unsafe accommodation, even concealed garden sheds, with the authorities using sophisticated thermal imaging technology to find them.
As in Australia, migration is a hot topic in politics too with eastern Europeans being blamed for an increase in crime and economic problems. And Evan explores how the open door policy is also creating an anti-European Union backlash across the UK.
So what’s the answer to Britain’s migrant misery?
