REVEALED: We lay bare the horrific conditions some of Colchester's homeless are living in

Our reporter RYAN JENNINGS and photographer STEVE BRADING have been given access to the homeless encampment, off East Bay.

We found ten occupied tents which people are using as homes, as well as a number of bin bags, dozens of personal items and even make-shift washing lines.

Each tent is neatly kept by owners, while a friendly black Staffordshire bull terrier greets visitors as they emerge from a hidden hedgerow.

The homeless community there is tight with everyone looking out for each other.

But they are losing hope and are becoming desperate. And something must be done - before it is too late.

They speak in praise of some of Colchester’s homeless services, such as GO4 Market Cafe’s pay-it-forward breakfasts, but say waiting times for help at charities such as Open Road are growing while securing a hospital referral from Beacon House has become “almost impossible”.

While there, we spoke to ‘residents’, some of whom were too shy or ashamed to speak on the record.

But their message is clear - they need help and they don’t know who to turn to.

That help could come in a number of ways. In the immediate future, they are calling upon Essex Police to protect them from an aggressive gang which enters the encampment every night, stealing items such as mobile phones, gas stoves and cash.

Colchester Council bosses have said the authority is doing everything it can to help homeless people across the borough and have fought off calls to ban begging from the town centre.

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A DESPERATE mum is calling for help to free her from a “terrifying” homeless life.

Elizabeth Burnett, 43, has been been living rough for three months.

She left her home in Clacton with her 20-year-old son after suffering domestic violence and says she was initially housed temporarily in bed and breakfast accommodation.

But by her own admission, her son broke the rules of the premises by smoking cannabis and the pair were told to leave.

Miss Burnett, who suffers from breathing condition COPD, says when she next contacted Colchester Council, she was told because she and her son had been asked to leave, there is no statutory duty for the authority to house them.

Eight weeks ago, she arrived at the East Bay encampment and pitched a tent with friend Craig Findley.

Since then, she says the site has been plagued by a group of men who arrive every night to carry out robberies and threaten the people living there.

As a result of the squalid conditions, she says she has also been admitted to hospital six times and has “wasted a lot of NHS money”.

Miss Burnett, who is fighting alcoholism and has been dry for 12 weeks, also says the wait for referrals from Beacon House to hospital have become intolerable, while she claims to be on a four-week waiting list for an appointment at addiction charity Open Road.

The former horse riding instructor said: “Right now, it feels like nobody wants to know.

“I feel like I could die out here and no-one would care.

“We don’t know where to go and I know I’m going down hill fast.”

The mum said the encampment is raided every night by a group of four men who she believes to be from Manchester originally but who now live in Jaywick.

She claims they routinely take items from residents, such as mobile phones, gas stoves and even cash.

Miss Burnett, who has had two phones stolen by the gang, added: “None of us want to be here.

“It is scary at night when those guys arrive.

“They come in howling and screaming and they go round us all stealing from us. I’ve had £90 stolen from me.

“They steal from everyone because no one stands up to them because you just don’t know what will happen.

“I keep planning to tell them where to go but I’m just scared what will happen.”

Miss Burnett, her son and Mr Findley regularly use the pay-it-forward breakfast scheme at GO4 Market Cafe, in Trinity Church, which is paid for by donations from the public, and also routinely attend the soup run, in Culver Street East.

She added: “The big thing for me is keeping myself well because I need to look after my son, who has got mental health problems and I know he gets bullied.

“I could do that with my nebuliser but I haven’t got a power source for it. If there is one thing I need, it’s that.

“It means I could look after myself and not have to call an ambulance and go into hospital for 24 or 48 hours.

“That’s a waste of NHS money and I don’t want to do that but I can’t really do anything else apart from call an ambulance when I need one.”

She added: “I’m desperate for help - we all are and we need it before it’s too late.”