Polish 'offered fare to go home'

Up to 2,000 Eastern European people arrive in London every day

Polish migrants are being offered their fare home to stop them sleeping rough on the streets of London.

Westminster Council has paid for 265 rough sleepers to return to countries in eastern Europe since October.

Launching a campaign at Victoria Coach Station, where many of the migrants arrive, it called on the government for more funding to tackle the problem.

Councillor Angela Harvey said: "These people are coming to work and they find themselves in such misery."

Westminster Council said in any one night there are up to 35 people from eastern European countries sleeping rough in London, but stressed this figure was "transient".

Up to 2,000 are thought to arrive at Victoria coach station every day.

Out of the 400,000 to 600,000 Poles estimated to have arrived in Britain only a small number find themselves on the street Westminster Councillor Angela Harvey

In October, the council was given £167,000 by the government to help pay for one-way tickets for homeless and out of work Poles as well as extra community police officers and an interpreter.

But councillor Angela Harvey said this money was due to run out at the end of the month.

"This is a national problem. It isn't about Westminster this is just where the focus is.

"Out of the 400,000 to 600,000 Poles estimated to have arrived in Britain only a small number find themselves on the street.

"Without the funding there could have been 10 times that number and this is particularly shocking."

Polish consulate

The council's plea was backed by Polish charity Barka Foundation which helps homeless and jobless people in London.

The Polish consulate has also urged people not to come to London unless they can support themselves.

Consul-General Janusz Wach said: "Don't come if you don't have financial resources, if you don't have contacts, if you don't have a job waiting for you in Britain, if you don't speak the language.

"Don't come because it's not easy. You might end up in a very rough situation."