A DIABETIC man was among 17 people found sleeping rough in Southend bus station – despite assurances the building was locked at night.

Campaigners at Soup4 Southend soup kitchen visited the site in Chichester Road at about 11.30pm on Sunday where they were shocked to find the 17.

The building, jointly run by Southend Council and bus companies, is meant to be locked between 10pm-6am.

Homeless people, some of whom have been moved on from Southend Cliff Gardens, have been bedding down within these times.

A spokesman for the soup kitchen said it was “disgusting”

people still needed to find shelter in a bus station and expressed concerns for the safety of the man suffering from type one diabetes – echoing the death of homeless man Gary Dunn last month.

He said: “It’s disgusting this is still happening in Southend in 2015. It was very upsetting to see 17 people in there, one of whom had type one diabetes, but with no diabetes test strips and finding it difficult to get food.

“We will be have a bloodsugar machine, food and sugary drinks, the next time we are there.”

The issue follows an ultimatum issued by the council last week to people sleeping in tents on Southend Cliff Gardens, demanding they accept help from the council and homeless agencies or be moved through legal action.

Martin Terry, Southend councillor responsible for public protection, said he was disappointed people were still sleeping rough in the bus station and said he would put pressure on the relevant departments to deal with the issue.

He said: “It’s disappointing to see this still happening and I will be chasing up the officers immediately.

“We were getting some rough sleepers in there before, with people complaining of an antisocial situation, but also received promises the premises would be secured before 11pm and not opened until 6am.

“However, we were also told a couple of stories that it was being opened during those hours – it is rather frustrating.”

A CHARITY for the homeless is gearing up for the winter when there will be extra strain on its shelters as temperatures drop.

Southend’s Harp aims to reduce homelessness by providing essential services, emergency housing and long-term solutions.

Among facilities it provided is the Bradbury Centre, in York Road, Southend, where 18 beds for rough sleepers can be accessed year-round.

A spokesman for the charity said the number of people visiting the centre could vary depending on the weather, adding that extra provision was put in place to help the homeless when conditions became very cold.

She added: “It is a day centre as well, so people can come, not just for a bed, but for help and advice .

“It is not just a night shelter, there are a whole range of services that go along with it.”

As well as this centre, the charity has 111 beds available at hostels in the Southend and Westcliff areas.

On a daily basis, the charity helps about 40 people.

'LONDON INFLUX IS A PROBLEM'

SOUTHEND’S homeless problem is made worse by London boroughs encouraging people to move east, a councillor has said.

Councillor Martin Terry said the influx of people from the capital was stretching local resources designed to care for the town’s own homeless and needy.

He said: “We seem to be getting more and more people arriving from London boroughs, which is a constant challenge and putting pressure on our resources.

“We know this is going on because some landlords have told us– boroughs are enticing people to leave to get them out of their area of responsibility.”

Earlier this month, the Echo revealed 200 homeless people were sent to Southend hostels and B&Bs by Basildon and Castle Point councils last year. Basildon Council leader Phil Turner blamed London boroughs for the knock-on effect.

However, Gary Turner, of Southend homeless charity Harp, said this did not put much pressure on the group’s work.

He said: “We can only talk about the people who come to us, and a high proportion have connections to the area and have lived here a long time.

“It may well be families who get dispersed in this area and go into local B&Bs, but we don’t see those people, because we are a single-person homeless charity.”