Outrage as hundreds forced to queue in the snow for hot food

Outrage as hundreds of desperate homeless people are forced to queue in the snow for hot food in Glasgow as temperatures plunged to -14C

  • Shocking photos reveals crowds waiting in line in cold to be fed by soup kitchen
  • Some said it looked like ‘Eastern Europe decimated by years of communist rule’
  • But charities are warning things will only get worse for those who are struggling 

Shocking photos have revealed how more than 200 people had to wait in line in the snow amid temperatures as low as -14C to be fed by a soup kitchen.

The pictures, taken earlier this week as adverse weather from Storm Darcy hit the city of Glasgow, were shared widely on Facebook, with volunteers insisting ‘this has to end’.

However, charities are warning things will get even worse for those struggling to make ends meet when lockdown ends, with soup kitchens now facing unprecedented demand for handouts. 

Shocking photos have revealed how more than 200 people had to wait in line in the snow amid temperatures as low as -14C to be fed by a soup kitchen


The pictures, taken earlier this week as adverse weather from Storm Darcy hit the city of Glasgow, were shared widely on Facebook, with volunteers insisting ‘this has to end’

A number of measures have helped provide respite in recent months, including councils bringing vulnerable people into shelter and a Government ban on evictions.

However, there are fears that once this ends, on top of even more people falling out of work and no rise in Universal Credit benefits, there may be a surge in the number of people sleeping rough.   

Graeme Weir, a member of community group Kindness Homeless Street Team Glasgow, which runs the soup kitchen in George Square four days a week, first posted the pictures.

He said: ‘This isn’t some Eastern European country that’s been decimated by years of communist rule. 

‘This is Glasgow city centre last night in the 21st century where people are waiting in line to be fed by Kindness Homeless Street Team Glasgow. This makes me so angry. This has to end.’

In Brighton, East Sussex, there are as many as 1,000 homeless people in unsuitable emergency accommodation, with charities having to make sure rough sleepers placed in unfurnished rooms had access to microwaves.

St Mungo’s chief executive Steve Douglas told the Mirror: ‘As the economy and employment falters, the end of the eviction ban approaches, and with no commitment to extend the uplift in Universal Credit there are many more people facing a real threat of losing their homes who could become part of this picture.’ 

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, added: ‘COVID-19 has ripped open the cracks left by the gross shortage of decent social homes in this country. 


However, charities are warning things will get even worse for those struggling to make ends meet when lockdown ends, with soup kitchens now facing unprecedented demand for handouts

‘Thousands of people are struggling to survive the pandemic without a home thanks to decades of political neglect.

‘Even with the curbs on legal evictions, people are still being thrown into homelessness as they have throughout. 

‘From the taxi-driver sleeping rough because the council say they cannot help, to the mother fleeing domestic abuse in search of a place of safety – this pandemic continues to be a never-ending nightmare.’

The number of homeless households rose by more than 10,000 between 2018 and 2019 to 219,000, while research suggests nearly a quarter of a million people could be homeless or in temporary accommodation by 2031. 

A Government spokesperson insisted rough sleepers and the vulnerable had been protected during the pandemic, adding: ‘We’re providing an unprecedented package of support, with over £700million this year to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping for good.’

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