Council set to 'remove' man living on road island

A man who has been living on a traffic island in Derby is set to be removed by the council.

Stephen Bullock, who likes to be known as Tiggz, has been living in his colourful van on Cock Pitt Island, off the A601, for around four months.

He told the BBC he believed he had the right to claim the land as his own and has struggled with receiving support from the council.

A spokesperson for Derby City Council said: "We are aware of Mr Bullock's return to the Cock Pitt Island and are working to remove him from the area as quickly as possible in line with our policy and procedures."

Mr Bullock, who says he helps to provide shelter for homeless people after struggling to find support for himself, told the BBC he would challenge the authority's decision to remove him.

A council spokesperson added: "Our priorities are to prevent households from becoming homeless in the first place and to support those who are already homeless or sleeping rough.

"Throughout the year, there are a wide range of services available to assist people who are homeless or sleeping rough, including the housing options service at the Council House, the city's street outreach teams, hostel networks, the Safe Space initiative, multi-agency Rough Sleepers Hub, and supported housing providers networks.

"Every effort is made to engage with people to ensure they are safe and warm, that they do not have to sleep on the streets and they can access the accommodation and support services they need."

In March, figures obtained by the BBC via a Freedom of Information request revealed the number of people known to have spent a night sleeping rough in Derby has risen by 63% in one year.

Derby Homes, which runs the city's homelessness services, said at least 473 people slept on the city's streets in 2024, compared with 290 in 2023.

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