Cavemen of Manchester: Migrants from Eastern Europe live in squalor underground

Caverns above River Mersey being used by homeless migrants

Were once used as an air raid shelter by townspeople in Second World War

Highlights growing desperation of Eastern Europeans to live in Britain

Charity says some rough sleepers have fallen in river or suffered arson

Its network of caverns helped to shelter terrified townspeople from wave after wave of Luftwaffe bombing raids.
Seven decades on, the ancient system of caves is providing a  makeshift home to desperate migrants from Eastern Europe.
Attracted to Britain for a better life, they are living in squalor 20ft up a thickly wooded cliff above the River Mersey in Stockport.
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Squalid: An Estonian huddles up in a cave near Stockport that is strewn with rubbish and filth. For him it is home

Safe: Despite the filthy conditions in the cave, it is much more secure and comfortable than the street

Their plight underlines the growing lengths to which Eastern Europeans will go in order to stay in the country, which critics say will worsen when curbs on migration are lifted for Romanians and Bulgarians next year.

 

One of the cave-dwellers was an Estonian man who identified himself only as ‘KP’.
He would only say, ‘It is not good’ in broken English as he rooted through rubbish barely a stone’s throw from the M60 motorway.
Estonians, along with Poles and Czechs, gained access to British benefits two years ago but they cannot claim them without a permanent address.

Homeless people are forced to live in the caves near Stockport

Debris: The sleeping area of a homeless man in the caves, surrounded by piles of rubbish

Entrance: The cave network is just a few minutes' walk away from the Stockport town centre

Wilderness: The caves are precariously located 20ft above the River Mersey and are fairly inaccessible

According to homelessness  charity Wellspring, Stockport’s  sandstone caverns now hold up to four occupants at any one time.

Project manager Jonathan Billings said the number of people needing support has more than doubled to 140 in three years – with many from Eastern Europe.
He said some rough sleepers had fallen into the river or been  targeted by arsonists.

‘Nobody wants to see people  living in a cave,’ he said. The caves were reputedly dug by hand in the 17th century.

Parts were used as air raid shelters for up to 6,500 people during the Second World War and were recently reopened as a tourist attraction.

A resident said: ‘We used to play in them as kids, but they’re lethal. It’s shocking to think people are living in them in 2013.’
Last week the Mail reported how 50 Romanian migrants were living in makeshift shelters on a rubbish dump in Hendon, north London.

Camping out: Another area of the caves which has been used as a shelter by a homeless person

Hidden: The homeless seek out the caves because of the privacy they can provide

Entrance: A homeless man's belongings are visible from an opening above the cave system