Dozens of homeless people were found sleeping rough in Glasgow amid treacherous conditions during Storm Ashley.
A total of 24 individuals were discovered sleeping in the city centre streets during gusts of up to 80mph and heavy downpours. The shocking numbers were confirmed by homeless charity See The Invisibles after teams conducted a night-time parole of the area on Sunday.
Those identified as sleeping rough during the first storm of the season were handed sleeping bags, ground mats and new clothing.
Writing on Facebook, See The Invisibles said: “On a night with howling sideways rain and battering winds, our dedicated volunteers were back out tonight and supported 24 individuals who sadly find themselves out on the streets in and around the city centre streets. The majority of those we helped are sleeping rough out there tonight, so we helped them out with dry brand new sleeping bags, ground mats and clean dry warm clothing that they could change into as well as hot drinks, pot noodles and a good chat.
“We offer as much advice as we can about linking in with the homeless services out there that we know are doing their utmost in difficult times.”
It comes after the Record told last week how people sleeping rough in Scotland were dying in record numbers. Devastating figures showed the death toll among those without somewhere to live has risen by more than 40 per cent in the last year, from 158 to 206.
And last month, official figures found the number of Scots who had registered as homeless had reached the highest number in more than a decade. Soaring private rental costs and a lack of social housing were blamed for the number of children stuck living with their families in temporary accommodation to reach the highest level on record.
The Scottish Government acknowledged the crisis in May after Edinburgh and Glasgow announced “housing emergencies”. Argyll and Bute Council followed suit in June.
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