A Glasgow hotel used as homeless accommodation has been slammed as a 'cesspit' as images from inside show bloodied walls, syringes and plug sockets hanging off the walls.
One desperate resident of the Rennie Mackintosh Hotel on Union Street has spoken out on the 'uninhabitable' conditions that make him 'feel isolated and like a criminal'. Images taken from inside the city centre lodgings show walls splattered with blood, a discarded needle on a radiator and loose plug sockets.
The same hotel, funded by Glasgow City Council, was previously infested with mice. Despite the investment from the council, the upkeep, cleaning and maintenance of the hotel is the responsibility of owners and management.
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The resident, who did not wish to be named, claims his bedroom has only been cleaned once during a month-long stay.
The 24-year-old told the Daily Record: "It is an absolute cesspit. The longer I am here the more I notice the filth.
"There is blood all over my walls and ceiling. There's blood on the wall facing my bed and blood underneath the desk."
He added: "I found a syringe in my bathroom too. The bin is taken out but that's about it.
"My towel has only been changed once since I moved in and I'm starting to feel dirty."
The man, who became homeless after a family dispute, told how the conditions are having a detrimental impact on his mental health.
He said: "When I wake up every day, I wake up really disappointed and let down. I'm facing the realisation of being homeless, and then realising I'm somewhere that is filthy.
"I often feel isolated as the staff can be quite hostile. Sometimes it makes me feel like a criminal."
Homeless Project Scotland has slammed the conditions as "inhabitable" and says it is unacceptable that people are being forced to live in squalor.
Chairman Colin McInnes said: "Bodily fluids plastered across walls, floors and used syringes lying around make these conditions inhabitable. These conditions are not acceptable for our vulnerable and homeless.
"The council should not condone these facilities. Leaders and officials need to take action now."
Glasgow City Council has said officers have raised the issue with hotel managers ahead of a routine inspection, but claim the resident refused to let bosses into the room for maintenance work.
A council spokesperson for homelessness services said: “Unfortunately this resident has not allowed access to hotel management to carry out routine maintenance in the room and was even offered a move while the work was being carried out but this was refused too. They will approach the resident again.
“Arrangements are in place for routine inspection of temporary emergency accommodation that we use across the city and our officers have discussed this situation with the hotel management. Glasgow HSCP remains focused on reducing the volume of emergency accommodation placements in hotels including the amount of time spent residing in these arrangements.
“We know the challenges of the past two years of the pandemic continue to have an impact on these efforts with almost 20,000 people offered emergency accommodation in the first 18 months of pandemic."
Last year the same facility was branded 'unfit for humans' after pictures emerged of a mice infestation. A resident, who spent six weeks at the facility, told how he became tormented after vermin jumped into his bed at night.
He claimed the rodents made it impossible to sleep at night as he waited for the council to provide him with a new home. Complaints about mice in the rooms were made in April last year - with three residents reportedly moved out as a result.
The Daily Record approached the Rennie Mackintosh Hotel on Union Street for comment.
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