BARRIERS have been erected on a car park plinth by Newport City Council to prevent "future encroachment" by homeless people into disabled and business parking bays near Newport Market - after complaints of "verbal abuse".

Both Gwent Police and council officers were at the car parks, underneath the Kingsway flyover, last Thursday.

Rough sleepers, who had put up tents in the car park, had been asked by council officers to move and did so voluntarily.

Pictures show police officers interacting with the homeless people under the flyover.

It's understood that although they have been moved on from the parking bays, they are still sleeping in the same carpark.

A spokeswoman from Newport City Council confirmed that pedestrian barriers have now been put up to prevent "future encroachment".

She said : "[The] council has received many complaints about the condition of the disabled and business permit car parks near Newport Market because of their use by a small number of rough sleepers.

"Drivers found it increasingly difficult to use the car parks due to the state they were in and there were reports of verbal abuse.

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"Working with the police, the council gave the rough sleepers notice to move and they left the car parks voluntarily.

"Pedestrian barriers have been erected on the car park plinth to try and prevent future encroachment onto the parking bays."

And a spokesman from Gwent Police added: "[We] can confirm that following a request by Newport City Council for support, officers attended the local authority car park underneath the Kingsway flyover in Newport city centre, where a clean-up operation was being carried out.

"No arrests were made."