Rough sleeper who had tent set on fire before getting caravan - now faces being moved again
A rough sleeper from Burslem whose tent was set on fire could potentially lose yet another makeshift home.Maciej Flank, who goes by the name of 'Magic', had been living under canvas on Federation Road until last month.After the tent was set alight, a Good Samaritan came to his aid and offered him a caravan to stay in nearby.But now the council is claiming that the caravan is "making people's lives a misery".Flank said he "can't seem to do anything right in some people's eyes".He added: "When I was in the tent people didn’t like it, now I’m in a caravan not in anyone’s way and they still don’t like it. The council have visited and say they will seize my caravan if I don’t move it. They came on Monday and they came at the weekend, too."The 53-year-old said he'd been working with his social worker and was hopeful of getting somewhere permanent to live, adding: "I’m nervous about settling back into normal life though because I’ve been on the streets for so long. I think it will be quite difficult to get back to real life again."
According to the council, there have been complaints about some of Magic's belongings which had been left out on the pavement outside the vehicle.Elle Brown, who was passing by Magic's home said: "I walk down this street most days to visit friends and family who live on the other side [of Burslem].
"I don’t think him being there is a problem at all - parents do it all the time when they’re dropping off and picking their kids up from the school.“I think the problem is all the crap and mess that’s just been left outside.
"I understand that the person probably doesn’t want all this rubbish in the caravan with them - it probably wouldn’t fit in there’s that much to be honest - but he could just make a few trips to the tip. It’s literally a two-minute walk away.
"If he did that then I don’t think anyone would mind him living there.”Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for environment and enforcement at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: "A week of action took place in locations across the city last week, bringing public services from the council, local police and other agencies together to tackle concerns of residents and businesses.
"We responded to calls from residents about an illegally parked caravan on the highway on Federation Road in Burslem that had been there for some time and was making the lives of local people a misery.
"There were reports of unwanted anti-social behaviour, and were health and safety risks associated with where the caravan was and an accumulation of illegally dumped waste."Our teams moved to respond to residents' concerns, moved the caravan and cleared the waste.
"We have since been working with the occupants of the caravan so that they can access the support they need, and this includes looking at, and the offer, of alternative accommodation as appropriate."