TOWN centre issues including homelessness, anti-social behaviour and illegal workers will all be tackled during a special day of support today.

Colchester Council has teamed up with homeless charity Beacon House, drug and alcohol support service Open Road, Essex Police and Colchester Borough Homes to crackdown on various issues which have been noticed in the town.

Mike Lilley (Lab) the council’s portfolio holder for safer communities said the agencies wanted to work together in order to make the town centre a better place.

He said: “There is going to be a lot going on all over the place, and it has been called a day of support.

“The police will be driving traffic enforcements and looking at areas which they know are particularly bad.

“There will also be visits to all the hotels and bed and breakfasts in the town centre to advise them about being aware of employing people who could possibly be the victims of modern slavery.

“We know of a case a few months ago in the town centre where it happened.”

Mr Lilley said the issue of illegal workers had come to the forefront after the council was forced to revoke the license of Indian restaurant RML in Tiptree last month because illegal workers were found there – including one who begged to be taken home to Bangladesh and another who said he was only being fed rice.

People rough sleeping in the town centre are also set to be spoken to today to find out their status and assess whether they are eligible for any help they are not already receiving.

Mr Lilley said: “We have set up a housing expert in Colchester Library to speak to people about homelessness.

“We want to speak to everyone sitting in a doorway or rough sleeping, find out more about their situation and point them in the right direction.

“I have never been given a definitive number on the amount of homeless people in Colchester because it is so fluid from day to day, week to week.”

Mr Lilley also plans to work with business owners.

He said: “There are other issues too such as things like littering and will be working with the people working in the retail sector to look at the sort of crimes which are happening too often.

“We are being given report about anti-social behaviour in the town centre and we have to support the businesses to give them a chance to trade in decent conditions.

“We need people to work with us so we can start resolving these issues.”