Bristol City Council's plans to overhaul the Bearpit roundabout has been put on hold because of a group of homeless people squatting.

For the past three weeks, a group of up to thirty people have been living in shipping containers and a double decker bus which used to be independent cafes.

The owners of Bearritos and the Bear Pit Social say they were forced to shut down in 2018 after a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Richard shares this shipping container with another homeless man.

We need places like this for people like us to have somewhere to stay. If I didn't have the container I could be anyway, in a doorway, anywhere. Richard

Lisa is living with the community in the Bearpit despite having a flat of her own.

She's told ITV News they want the council to trust them to run the area as a community space.

It's said to be the homeless people that are creating all the havok and fighting but actually its the homeless people now who are creating a calm space in the Bearpit. Give us a chance and just let us show you we can do something good for our own community. Lisa

However Bristol City Council say incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour have increased since the group moved in.

We’re aware of a number of people squatting in council owned structures in the Bearpit and have concerns about their health and safety as these structures are unsuitable for people to live in. We recommend that anyone squatting there who is homeless or at risk of homelessness to talk to the outreach workers visiting the site regularly. Bristol City Council, Spokesperson

An artists impression of a multimillion pound plan to renovate the Bearpit and rename it 'The Circle'. Credit: Bristol City Council

The city council announced in 2018 multi-million pound plans to turn the area into a food innovation hub, with space to accommodate up to 40 businesses and create 160 jobs.