Thread: London buildings deploying medieval anti hobo spikes..a few liberal commies get upset

Sidewalk Spikes Outside Luxury Building Irritate London's Mayor

Politicians and an online petition are urging the owners of a luxury London building to remove metal studs embedded in the sidewalk nooks, which are seen as an attempt to keep homeless people from sleeping in building's recesses.

A petition on Change.org was created to challenge the property developer and “support the silent population.”


Metal spikes in the ground outside 118 Southwark Bridge Road, London, after Mayor Boris Johnson weighed into the row about the spikes, which were installed to prevent homeless people sleeping outside a London building.

“We should be looking after our vulnerable population, not ostracizing them by moving them to places that are less intrusive to our lives, so that they are out of sight,” the petitioner wrote.

The petition has received more than 11,000 signatures, and will be delivered to Property Partners, the company that owns the building, and to London Mayor Boris Johnson.


A left leaning gay middle class social worker is shocked to see the barbaric defenses, but fails to offer the next homeless person he sees a spare bed.

Johnson has tweeted out a message urging the developer to remove the inch-high studs. "Spikes outside Southwark housing development to deter rough sleeping are ugly, self defeating & stupid," the message read.
Councilor Peter John, leader of Southwark Council, tweeted out: “All homeless people in Southwark should be treated with respect and compassion- not spikes. I hope they will be removed from Swk Br Rd.”

Tesco, the parent company of Property Partners, denied the studs were aimed at homeless people. In a statement to the Telegraph, the company said, The studs were put in place to try and stop people engaging in anti-social behaviour like smoking or drinking outside our store, which can be intimidating for our customers.”

According to Crisis, a national charity for homeless people in the U.K., more than 2,000 homeless people slept on the streets in England on any night during 2013. In 2012-2013, over 113,000 households applied to their local authority for homelessness assistance.

Sidewalk Spikes Outside Luxury Building Irritate London's Mayor - ABC News

Won't deter some folks one bit, I'd think.

We should be looking after our vulnerable population,

the uk looks after its vulnerable population better than most countries.

if the so called homeless, although many of them are there by choice rather than necessity, spent their already generous benefits on things other than cider, glue, scratchcards and tobacco, then perhaps their lives would be better.

sharpen those spikes a bit more i say.

Originally Posted by Waid

Won't deter some folks one bit, I'd think.

Not wrong mate, here's Sanjit from Southall showing how it's done.

Pity they don't shoot up out of the pavement at random intervals to impale the fuckers. That would be a deterrent.

^Not to mention quite funny to watch

Originally Posted by Gerbil

Pity they don't shoot up out of the pavement at random intervals to impale the fuckers.

Some of them do.

Originally Posted by Necron99

London buildings deploying medieval anti hobo spikes

How can they be medieval. Did they have dossers and drug addicts in them days?

was walking around london a few years ago and saw all the mess some of the dossers
left, rubbish strewn around and a couple of times a big turd, so if i was a landlord or
shop keeper i would put in spikes also, or be like the youtube clip of yank owners putting a big hose overhead and turning it on to stop the people pissing or taking a dump there,was funny to watch.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Originally Posted by Necron99

London buildings deploying medieval anti hobo spikes

How can they be medieval. Did they have dossers and drug addicts in them days?

Yeah, but they called them Scots....



^^ Meh, just a flesh wound....

Having lived and worked in the cesspit that is Londonistan for many years I can say they need to be far bigger and much pointier than they are now. Also the option to electrify them with bursts of high voltage may work as well

withnall is probably on his way there greasing up his arse in anticipation

Originally Posted by reddog

was walking around london a few years ago and saw all the mess some of the dossers
left, rubbish strewn around and a couple of times a big turd.

Mainland Chinese tourists surely.

These spikes must be on private property as you can sue the council for a crack in the pavement if you twist your ankle.

They ruined My bed for the night, what was wrong with pissing up against the hosts front door.

Originally Posted by taxexile

We should be looking after our vulnerable population,

the uk looks after its vulnerable population better than most countries.

if the so called homeless, although many of them are there by choice rather than necessity, spent their already generous benefits on things other than cider, glue, scratchcards and tobacco, then perhaps their lives would be better.

sharpen those spikes a bit more i say.

Yes they do look rather feeble, though I wouldn't go so far as to add poisoned tips.

Originally Posted by Begbie

Originally Posted by reddog

was walking around london a few years ago and saw all the mess some of the dossers
left, rubbish strewn around and a couple of times a big turd.

Mainland Chinese tourists surely.

These spikes must be on private property as you can sue the council for a crack in the pavement if you twist your ankle.

Don't know about now but around 20 years back the crack had to be at least .75" and even so the council was only liable if it had been properly (legally) informed 7 or 14 days before the mishap.

Originally Posted by Rainfall

If I were a hobo, I'd accidentally fall on the spikes during the day, and sue the property owners for compensation. It's gonna happen anyway, some stupid UKIP voter will fail to see these things, twist the ankle when stepping on one, and fall. The owners created the hazard in a place accessible to the public. Unlikely that they've got liability insurance for this stunt. I'm also positive that there are building regulations which force the removal.

Yah that's what I was thinking, more of a liability then deterrent from my point of view.. Or claim you hurt yourself late at night not knowing they were there when you went to lay down.

Many moons ago here in the states a Vietnamese guy who had emigrated bought a house in a respectable neighborhood but the house was backed up against a main road where the community had erected a privacy wall to separate them from the traffic noise and people walking on the walk behind the houses.

The wall however acted more like a nice blind for robbers to climb the wall and break into the houses in privacy late at night so the Vietnamese guy did what a lot of Asians do and cemented bottles on the top of his wall and then bust them off leaving jagged, broken glass on top to prevent the crooks climbing over. Well, it was in violation with both the HOA rules and the county but while they were dickering over that a knucklehead crook managed to climb his wall to break into his house and got his ass (and other parts) all cut to hell and he sued the home owner and sadly he won.. Justice at it's finest..

Don't know why they just didn't turn in into a 45deg slope.
(And I don't mean a hot Asian chick)
A few bricks and a bit of concrete and there you have it.
Stupid poms.

You mean built it up as a ramp and put the spikes on top, so innocents won't get uhrt?

Originally Posted by Rainfall

If I were a hobo, I'd accidentally fall on the spikes during the day, and sue the property owners for compensation.

I'm not so sure that if you do not have an address you can lodge a complaint or get legal aid. Sure it works the other way round "Rainfall of No Fixed Abode" etc but the other way, I just don't think they can. Their best idea would be to phone up the insurance company and put an private 3rd party claim in directly that way but still would need somewhere to send the cheque to...

Here's an idea, city wants to treat the homeless with respect, give them a place to sleep.
Believe the vagrancy act is still on the books, but housing or jailing would cost money.
World wide problem, no cheap answers. Jim

Originally Posted by leemo

You mean built it up as a ramp and put the spikes on top, so innocents won't get uhrt?

No need for spikes.
if that area is built up as a ramp/slope to 45deg, who the fuck can sleep or stand on that.

hmm...

Well there goes my retirement home plan?

Quite popular in China also



Maybe they should put up a sign. "This space is reserved for Sadhu's"?