Since squatting in residential premises was made a criminal offence in 2012, homeless gangs have switched their sights to commercial buildings and according to security experts squats are now larger and more sophisticated.
A licensee this week told the PMA of his heartbreak after his pub was trashed by invaders.
Brighton’s Blind Tiger Club, which closed in May after being slapped with a noise abatement order, was squatted earlier this month.
Lessee Phil Lakker said the squat began with a few homeless people looking for a place to stay but soon spiralled into criminals and vandals wrecking the venue and stealing everything of value – including ripping the fireplace from the wall.
He said: “Luckily the sound equipment had been taken out but there was still about £25,000 worth of stuff in there. They took everything – ripped the condom machines off the wall and smashed the charity tins. They really did a number on us.
“It was only the fact that I saw someone drinking a bottle from my stock that we were able to go in there and break the squat. It was because of the licensing issue not squatting. By then the damage was done.”
Legislation
Last year there was a campaign by MPs, led by Hove’s Mike Weatherley, to expand the squatting regulations to cover commercial premises. However, there is not thought to be any appetite within Government to amend the regulation in this Parliament.
Lakker said he did not support an extension of the current legislation but urged authorities to ensure they use existing powers quickly and effectively.
Squatters wanting to target pubs can readily find advice on the internet, including one site where they can print out a poster stating the exact legislation that allows them to squat in a commercial building.
Anthony Owen, managing director of VPS, Vacant Property Specialists said the company had seen the number of people occupying a typical squat grow.
“Years ago you might have found between five and ten people on any one site whereas these days you can get anything between ten and 40”, he said.
Organisation
Owen said the impact of social media, enabling squatters to get better organised and communicate more quickly, had been a factor, as well the impact of the 2012 law change.
He added: “Squatters have always been well aware of their rights which can also be found all over their well-established websites highlighting what they can and cannot do once residing in a property. Some websites even advertise for tradesman who can assist them on any works which are required to make the property habitable in turn for a place to stay.”
Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer & pub Association said said: “We would support tougher action against squatters – they can devalue properties and cause neighbour nuisance – often making it harder for properties to return to commercial use.”
She added that the BBPA was lobbying the Government to exclude short-term temporary agreements – which keep pubs trading in between permanent tenants - to be excluded from the Pubs Code as "their inclusion could mean pubs lying empty".
VPS