Homelessness: 'I was raped while sleeping under a pier in Blackpool'

Charities have warned the number of people sleeping rough in the UK is rising. Those sleeping on the streets already face freezing conditions, but in recent we

eks there have also been several high-profile attacks on homeless people. HGE News has spoken to two people who were both violently attacked as they slept.

The stony ledge under Blackpool's north pier is no place to find rest. The Irish Sea, whipped by a bitter wind, crashes onto the shore, hurling spray landwards and soaking the ledge. For several months last year, this is where Eve Monks slept. "I just sat there and cried all night, that my life had come to this," says the 38-year-old, recalling her first night under the pier. "I kept asking God to take me as I didn't want to be here at all."

Eve, originally from Dublin, had been working as a carer in Blackpool when she suffered a heart attack and a stroke. Unable to earn, she couldn't pay her rent and returned to her flat one day to find her landlady had thrown all her belongings onto the street.

She spent the little savings she had staying in a hotel for a few nights, but by July 2022, her money had run out and she had nowhere or no-one to turn to. Having scoped out various options, Eve chose Blackpool's north pier as she thought she'd be hidden from public view.

Getting to sleep was difficult, she says. It was the height of summer and above her, the pier was open until late, with bars full of party-goers. On the evening of 22 August, a stranger spotted Eve. "I remember I hadn't been to sleep for so long," she says, remembering how she fell into a deep sleep that night. "And a guy came up and - he just raped me. I was kicking and shouting and telling him to go away from me. And he just put his hand over my mouth - I couldn't scream or anything."

Eve thought it would be a waste of police time to report the rape, saying: "I didn't know what he looked like. I just closed my eyes so hard - I was wishing him to go."

After some time, she went to the hospital to get examined. Someone there put her in touch with the local housing department, which eventually led to her being offered a small flat in Blackpool.