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Row upon row of tents, hurling dishwater onto the road, bathing on the central reservation, harassing passersby, and stealing booze and solvents from the local newsagent.
You'd be forgiven for thinking this was Los Angeles's Skid Row. Unfortunately, it's on our doorstep.
Welcome to Britain's latest shame – a Romanian and Bulgarian beggar encampment in the heart of central London.
More than 40 tents perched on the central reservation of the capital's arterial Euston Road are home to dozens of chancers who fly in from Romania and Bulgaria to beg and commit crime for a living.
In fact, on Thursday, four men were allegedly stabbed by a female suspect, said to be homeless and from Romania, after she went on a rampage around Covent Garden.
The incident took place on Endell Street, just one mile from the Euston Road encampment.
The suspect was arrested by police a short time later. The incident is believed to be mental health-related.
Meanwhile, over at the nearby camp, where squatters play games and scroll Instagram on their smartphones and tablets, it is hard to believe this lot are as down and out as their tent city, smelling of urine and overrun by refuse, would suggest.
More than 40 tents perched on the central reservation of Euston Road in London are home to dozens of chancers who fly in from Romania and Bulgaria to beg for a living
In fact, on Thursday, four men were allegedly stabbed by a female suspect (pictured), said to be homeless and from Romania, after she went on a rampage around Covent Garden
The incident took place on Endell Street, just one mile from the Euston Road encampment. Pictured: A squatter from the camp urinates against a tree at the site
'They steal alcohol and solvents from my shop on a daily basis – I've lost hundreds, if not thousands, in business as a result,' says one exasperated local shopkeeper, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.
He added: 'It's been going on for about three years when they arrived in the summer of 2023.
'We ring the police, they've come a few times but it doesn't stop what is happening.
'You call them out and they get very aggressive, they hate you filming them.
'They scream, "No video!", as they're putting a bottle of vodka or brandy down their trousers. It's driving me mad and I feel quite helpless.
'Other shops have got security because of how bad it's got. We can't afford that, we're just a newsagent – what are we meant to do?'
One local claimed a silver VW Passat with a Romanian number plate, parked in a loading bay opposite the encampment, ferries the tent residents around London to their pickpocketing and begging spots.
'It's their taxi service to bring them to and from "work" – you couldn't make it up,' he alleged.
The car had no parking tickets and was not ULEZ-compliant.
One British resident told The Standard newspaper in November how officers from Camden Outreach, the council's designated homelessness team, visit the site but show little 'interest' in him as he's not 'dependent on substances'.
He said: 'I'm not a risk. I don't cause any trouble or make a noise.'
When the Daily Mail first visited the camp, one clearly intoxicated man stumbled across the road screaming 'no video!' in our faces in an attempt to intimidate us.
Others flicked fingers and made hand gestures while covering their faces.
On another visit, we witnessed squatters waking up and carrying out their morning routines: bathing, brushing their teeth and washing pans.
Wastewater was flung onto the road as they puffed on cigarettes and mingled over breakfast before heading out into London.
A makeshift kitchen station stores the group's utensils while bins spill over with Pot Noodles, cans of Stella Artois beer and used tissues. Litter piles up between the tents, which sit atop wooden pallets.
When the Daily Mail visited, we saw squatters waking up and carrying out their morning routines – bathing (pictured), brushing their teeth and washing pans
Wastewater was flung onto the road as they puffed on cigarettes and mingled over breakfast before heading out into London
A makeshift kitchen station stores the group's utensils while bins spill over with Pot Noodles, cans of Stella Artois beer and used tissues
Litter piles up between the tents, which sit atop wooden pallets
The majority of the camp are understood to be from Romania and Bulgaria
The majority of the camp are understood to be from Romania and Bulgaria, but the site has also housed a handful of other homeless nationalities – including British and Ukrainian people who had fallen on hard times.
While most people at the camp refused to talk, two were happy to speak.
Maria, from the Romanian city of Timișoara, claimed she had come to the UK for a 'better life' and alleged she had only been in the camp for a month.
In a deeply disjointed explanation as to why she was in Britain, she alleged that 'wicked' Camden Council, the local authority, had failed to find her permanent housing.
It was unclear if she was in the UK legally or why she believed she had a right to housing.
Asked why she was in the UK, she claimed: 'There are no possibilities, no housing in Romania. I am homeless. That's why I am here.
'[Camden Council] are wicked, they are not helping me find housing and they are now on holiday. I'm not happy, I cry, I am always very stressed. I don't want to be here.'
The Daily Mail also met Hamide, an illegal immigrant who had left Sudan in 2020 and lived across Europe, working in France as a plumber, before arriving in Britain on a dinghy several years ago.
The 43-year-old had lived in a London migrant hotel for a year and ten months before either being removed or checking himself out.
St Mungo's homeless charity later offered him help but he said he had checked out of the hostel in Victoria they placed him in and he has been living in a tent on the side of the road ever since.
Hamide, who said his asylum claim was ongoing with a solicitor, claimed: 'The hostel was no good, I was not happy. I live in a tent because I have no one to help me.
'Yes, I am illegal in this country. I am trying to get settled status here but I have a problem so I now have a solicitor.'
The Euston encampment, which now spreads across two central reservation sections along Euston Road, began in August 2022.
Google Street view of the site shows a handful of people, their sleeping bags and a few sheets of cardboard.
The site – which is in the heart of ex-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's central London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras – has since exploded to well over 40 tents and dozens of squatters.
It is understood Sir Keir has made representations to Transport for London (TfL), Camden Council and the Metropolitan Police about the camp on behalf of constituents.
How the encampment has been allowed to stay in place for four years points to a systemic failure of governance, law enforcement and inaction by Camden Council. The result is an encampment allowed to flourish without fear or favour.
While most people at the camp refused to talk, two were happy to speak - including Hamide (pictured), an illegal immigrant who left Sudan in 2020 and arrived in Britain on a dinghy several years ago
The Euston encampment, which now spreads across two central reservation sections along Euston Road, began in August 2022
The site – which is in the heart of ex-Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's central London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras – has since exploded to well over 40 tents and dozens of squatters
How the encampment has been allowed to stay in place for four years points to a systemic failure of governance, law enforcement and inaction by Camden Council
The result is an encampment allowed to flourish without fear or favour
In November, the Standard newspaper reported that a 32-year-old Romanian man living at the site reportedly died after suffering a heart attack. It is believed he had only recently moved there.
A small tribute was pinned to a tree along with flowers and candles.
Organised criminal networks frequently exploit international travel routes to deploy individuals from mainland Europe into London for street-level crime and begging
In the summer of 2013, the government spent thousands flying or bussing dozens of Roma beggars who had set up camp in London's Marble Arch, just off Oxford Street, back home.
Despite their efforts, many of them simply flew back and have continued to do so ever since.
Last summer, TfL spent more than £113,000 in three months on a security firm hired to prevent rough sleepers returning to London's Park Lane, The Standard reported.
The street, one of the wealthiest in Europe, has been blighted by illegal Roma encampments for decades.
Last May, Westminster City Council secured a court order to remove a large encampment opposite the Hilton near Hyde Park Corner.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'The Safer Neighbourhood Team are aware of the congregation of rough sleepers and are working closely with partners to find a long-term solution.
'We would encourage anyone who believes they have witnessed criminal activity to contact the police via 101 or online, so the matter can be investigated.'
A Camden Council spokesperson said: 'We are concerned for the welfare of people rough sleeping here and our urgent focus is to help rebuild their lives away from the streets.
'This means finding suitable accommodation and providing the range of support they need, while working with community partners to make sure the area is safe and maintained for everyone.'
Of the attack in Covent Garden, a spokesperson for St Mungo's homelessness charity, which works in the Endell Street area, has previously said: 'Following the incident near to one of our services at Endell Street, we can now confirm that all colleagues and clients of St Mungo’s are safe and accounted for. Residents are being supported by our specialist frontline colleagues.
'We can also confirm that the perpetrator is neither a resident of our service at this location nor have they been supported by St Mungo's more widely. None of our clients were affected by the attack.
'For the benefit of the people we support, we kindly request respect and privacy after this distressing incident.
'Our thoughts remain with those who were affected by this incident.'