'Anti Homeless Spikes' Campaign In Birmingham Reaches 10,000 Signatures

19 June 2015, 10:04 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A petition against 'Anti-Homeless Spikes' which have been put outside a bank in Birmingham - and are claimed to stop people sitting there - has reached 10,000 signatures.

A Birmingham campaigner's told Capital a bank in the city centre should be ashamed of itself - for segregating homeless people.

A petition against the so called 'Anti-Homeless Spikes' outside the HSBC on New Street has reached 10,000 signatures in just a matter of days.

Nazan Fennell's backing it. She said: "I find this completely unacceptable that we put spikes in sheltered places that the homeless people can get comfort throughout the night.

"Putting the spikes or pushing the homeless away from our areas is not addressing the problem, by putting more distinction and separation between ourselves - let's say the functional parts of society - and our very, very vulnerable groups."

In response, HSBC said: "We have some bumps on a narrow ledge outside our Birmingham New Street branch, which have been there for a few years to discourage people to sit and gather outside the windows while our customers are undertaking confidential banking conversations and transactions.

"People still sit on the ledge and we have homeless people who sleep outside the branch."

View the petition here: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/remove-anti-homeless-spikes-from-hsbc-birmingham