CONCERNS have been raised by local residents about rough sleepers who have been temporarily rehoused in a Weymouth hotel.

Last week, all councils in England were ordered by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to rehome any rough sleepers they knew of because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As reported, Dorset Council worked with local charities to rehome a number of individuals sleeping rough across the county. Some were placed in the Riviera Hotel in Weymouth but now local residents say this has caused issues in the area.

A resident of Bowleaze Cove said: “We are growing more concerned daily abut the homeless staying at the Riviera Hotel. Only yesterday an ambulance and police were called by a dog walker to a man so drunk he was nearly unconscious.

“One resident said, we were accepting and supportive of the homeless having somewhere to stay but just dumping them there with no support or structure to the process has inevitably led to issues.

“Daily drug supplies are being delivered via different routes, some by foot and some by car. Having this many people in one place that struggle to make good decision is surely unhealthy given the current safe distancing and self-isolation rulings. They gather daily in large groups and clearly have no understanding of the importance of the current rules.”

Another resident said: “Why weren’t these people supported. This was a great opportunity to have people support the homeless and use this as an opportunity to help them sort some or all of their issues. Having so many in one place is an accident waiting to happen. Why weren’t they placed separately or in smaller groups. People are having to deal with the consequences of them being all together and those people are at risk in doing so.”

A Dorset Council spokesperson said: “Dorset Council has placed a small number of Rough Sleepers into the Rivera hotel in order to meet the government deadline of getting all rough sleepers into accommodation by March 27.

“Some of these individuals have now been moved into other accommodation out of the Weymouth area.

“Rough sleepers who have been placed into accommodation are being supported as far as possible under the current restrictions to get the support that they need.

“The council is aware of an isolated incident with one individual who’s behaviour has been of concern and will continue to work with partners and the police to ensure this behaviour does not cause distress to local residents.”

A Dorset Police spokesperson said: "We have received a small number of reports of anti-social behaviour by individuals within the last week in the vicinity of the hotel and neighbourhood policing teams are working closely with partners to address any issues that have arisen."