Mr Sinclair described the addition of spikes to the pavement outside a building in Southwark to deter people from sleeping rough as a “rather brutal approach”, saying “the aim should be to help people move in, not just to move people on”.
The building’s developers have received complaints from the public, and Mayor of London Boris Johnson has called them “ugly, self-defeating and stupid”.
Mr Johnson called on the developer of the building on Southwark Bridge Road, Southwark, to remove the spikes, pictures of which have gone viral on Twitter and other social media in recent days.
Writing through his @MayorofLondon Twitter account Mr Johnson also defended his record on tackling homelessness.
He tweeted: “Spikes outside Southwark housing development to deter rough sleeping are ugly, self defeating & stupid. Developer should remove them ASAP.
“We’ve spent £34 million on the likes of ‘no 2nd night out, reaching 3/4s of rough sleepers, but must do more. Spikes are simply not the answer.”(sic)
