Mother and son chosen to live on a high street bench for three years

A Somali mother and son were evicted from their flat in Tooting, London, in 2014 for not paying their rent

Since then, the pair have been living on a bench on the busy Tooting High Street and sleep under tarpaulin. The council tried to rehome them but they turned down two-bedroom flats, which usually cost £1,500 a month. They chose to remain on the bench despite final pleas from their family and members of the local Somali community.

The mother and son have been homeless since December 2014 when they were evicted from the flat they shared in Tooting. It is thought a death in the family and a period of hospitalisation led to them living on the streets.