A “shanty town” made up of 700 tonnes of rubbish where at least five homeless people were living was found in a disused underground car park.
Council enforcement officers said the disused underground car park in Earl’s Court was the most dangerous site they had ever visited.
Broken glass, excrement, needles and hundreds of alcohol bottles were strewn across the floor in the space underneath Tesco in West Cromwell Road.
The site is near residential streets where four-bedroom terraced town houses sell for £2 million.
It took Kensington and Chelsea council a month to clear the equivalent weight of 50 double-decker buses in illegally dumped waste.
A special “grab lorry” removed 35 loads of waste in what was a record clean-up operation for the council —double the amount collected after Notting Hill Carnival .
The basement was described as a “hive of antisocial behaviour” where at least five people had been living. Council outreach workers have referred drug users and rough sleepers to vital services for help.
The site does not have phone or radio reception and no noise can be heard from ground level. A gate with a lock will now be fitted on the entrance. A council spokesman said: “The council’s enforcement team visited the underground cark park beneath Tesco and described it as a ‘shanty town’ with at least five people living there.
“Due to the lack of phone or radio reception, unheard from ground level, broken glass and excrement, officers believe it was the most dangerous site they had ever visited. Needles, stick bins and hundreds of empty alcohol bottles were strewn everywhere.”
The council discovered the site in September and worked with the joint property owners, Tesco Plc and housing association Notting Hill Genesis, who paid to clear the basement.
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A spokesman for Tesco said: “We worked together with the council to help clear this area and improve the local environment for residents and our customers.” Notting Hill Genesis declined to comment.
