GLASGOW'S "hidden homeless" sleep rough at dozens of so-called "skipper sites" across the city, according to a charity worker who has supported the destitute for almost two decades.

 

Alan Laurie created a photographic record of almost 100 locations used by down-and-outs who don't have a roof over their head.

Homeless people often seek out secluded spots because they can be the victims of vicious assaults which range from being spat at to having their sleeping bags set ablaze.

Mr Laurie said: "Service users call them skipper sites because people used to literally sleep in skips, although that's less common now.

"We refer to them as rough sleeping sites and the list of places is exhaustive - we could never capture them all.

"These locations are all over the city centre and its environs because most homelessness projects are in the city centre.

"You'll also get people in the west end, around Kelvingrove Park, but very few sites in the south side.

"Going east, it's mainly up as far as the Gallowgate, just touching Calton and not much beyond that.

"People will be sleeping rough outside this loose boundary but because homelessness services are in the city centre, most will want to be within walking distance."

Mr Laurie was asked by a charity to document rough sleeping sites last year and discovered that many homeless people hide in plain sight.

He said: "Without naming specific locations, the popular places are just about every lane in Glasgow and in disused buildings. Sometimes bin shelters and office doorways.

"Of course, people will frequently sleep rough under most of the bridges and along the Clydeside.

"People are also known to sleep under busy roads in the storage spaces created for materials used when they built the roads.

"It's very rare that a member of the public will see someone sleeping rough in Glasgow.

"They don't want to be discovered because the police will move them on.

"We sometimes call them the hidden homeless."

Many rough sleepers are targeted by drunken thugs on a Friday and Saturday night.

Mr Laurie said: "The threats they face are mainly from members of the public out at the weekend who think it's a good laugh to spit on or have a kick at someone who's down.

"Quite often people who are up a lane will have their sleeping bags destroyed by drunks who set fire to them.

"Homeless people, particularly those who are sleeping rough, are quite often the victims of violence.

"I would suggest a lot of homeless people don't report it because they realise or recognise they have the same rights as any other citizen because of the way they've been treated."

Read here: Glasgow's invisible citizens: 800 left to sleep rough on city streets