It’s now impossible for people to sit or sleep here (Picture: Twitter/PJonesAntiques)

A slope thought to be an anti-homeless device has been installed on the steps of an empty building.

Footage emerged showing construction workers fitting the slope to the steps of the now-vacant Bank of England in Liverpool, with one hammering it in and another observing.

The steps are used by rough sleepers through the year, but the structure will make it impossible for people to sit, stand or lie down on them.

Since being posted on Reddit and Twitter, users have been reflecting on the harsh conditions rough sleepers will have to endure this winter.


The slope has been branded ‘disgusting’ (Picture: BBC NWT)

One user, TemujiTengri, wrote: ‘While I agree that this is a heartless policy that goes no way towards caring for or helping the homeless, we shouldn’t passively encourage them to sleep rough either.

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‘The streets are dangerous at night, especially during winter.



‘It’s why a lot of homeless people sleep during the day. We should all be supporting charities like The Whitechapel Centre and Shelter to direct the vulnerable to services that will support them.

‘We should also be getting mad at local authorities who put up these things without adding any additional support to their yearly spend.’

Company installs anti-homeless ramp at vacant Bank of England building in Liverpool to stop rough sleepers sleeping on steps. pic.twitter.com/7ZMGbPkewl — North West Tonight (@BBCNWT) November 25, 2016

And one local man who had slept on the step ‘for months’ told the BBC: ‘It’s just poor isn’t it, really. What harm are you doing sleeping on a step.’

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Another rough sleeper added: ‘We take everything away with us – it’s left clean and that. You know, we’re on the streets and that… to do this is just…’

And other locals said they wouldn’t mind the slope, as long as homeless people could sleep in the empty Bank of England building if they needed to.

This type of thing is called ‘hostile architecture’, where constructions are designed to keep people or animals from resting on them.

For example, anti-homeless spikes in doorways to prevent rough sleeping, bars in the centre of benches to stop people from lying down on them, and spikes at the top of fences to stop pigeons from landing on them.

Metro.co.uk has contacted Liverpool City Council for comment.