A tented encampment located beneath a graffiti-covered bridge between two railway lines in Shoreditch, London, has drawn attention as a makeshift residence for a group of food delivery riders, many of whom are believed to be undocumented migrants. Situated less than two miles from the City of London financial district, the site is home to approximately a dozen men, predominantly Sudanese, who work for delivery firms including Deliveroo and Gopuff.
The encampment, described by locals as unsanitary and overcrowded, has raised concerns about living conditions and public safety. Residents of the area report strong odors of urine and refuse emanating from the site, accompanied by broken glass and discarded waste. Some community members have expressed unease about the presence of the riders, noting instances of apparent drug use and feeling intimidated when passing through the underpass.
The men living in the camp face significant hardships, including a lack of running water and basic sanitation facilities. Several riders explained that they rely on shared stove cooking and store personal belongings in makeshift arrangements. Asylum seekers generally cannot engage in paid employment during the initial period of their claims, leading many to use tactics such as “account renting,” where legally employed individuals lend delivery platform accounts to those without the right to work.
Police operations targeting illegal working among delivery riders have seen substantial numbers of individuals apprehended. Operation Equalise, conducted last summer, resulted in 151 arrests from a sample of nearly 1,500 riders, with at least 17 deportations. Authorities have highlighted challenges in verifying the immigration status of couriers operating on app-based platforms, where there is potential for fraudulent account use.
Both Deliveroo and Gopuff have responded to these issues by enforcing stricter identity and right-to-work checks. Deliveroo stated it had not received specific evidence of illegal riders using its platform at the Shoreditch site but affirmed ongoing monitoring efforts and collaboration with local authorities and the Home Office. Gopuff announced plans to introduce facial verification technology for account holders from October, aligning with new government requirements aimed at preventing illegal work.
Local councils and residents have called for more consistent interventions, citing previous temporary solutions that allowed the encampment to be cleared only for it to reappear. Critics argue that insufficient enforcement and oversight have contributed to what some political figures have described as an exploitation of migrants within the gig economy. Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf has proposed legislation that would impose criminal penalties on company directors and delivery platforms for illegal working, alongside financial incentives for reporting such violations.
Similar informal gatherings of food delivery riders have been noted in other London locations, including Clissold Park in Stoke Newington, where tents and delivery bags have been observed despite park closure times. Local officials have struggled to address the presence of these groups, prompting ongoing debate about the intersection of migration, public health, and labour regulation in urban centres.