A small community of approximately 12 Sudanese migrants has set up a tent encampment under a railway bridge in Shoreditch, London. These individuals work as delivery riders for apps like Deliveroo and Gopuff, often utilizing legal loopholes to secure employment.
The Shoreditch railway bridge as a gig-worker shanty town
Tucked away near the wealthy tech hubs and trendy eateries of Shoreditch, a grim encampment has formed under a graffiti-covered bridge. According to The Mail on Sunday, around 12 men,primarily migrants from Sudan, have established a makeshift home here, complete with IKEA furniture and cooking stoves, despite the lack of basic sanitation.
The location is a stark juxtaposition of extreme poverty and global wealth , situated just a mile from the City of London's financial district. While the residents utilize the proximity to Brick Lane's dense concentration of restaurants to find work, they live in conditions characterized by the stench of urine and a total absence of running water.
Account renting and the failure of Deliveroo's right-to-work checks
The presence of these riders exposes a critical vulnerability in the onboarding processes of gig platforms. while Deliveroo explicitly states that workers must provide proof of their right to work and undergo criminal record checks, many in the Shoreditch camp bypass these requirements through a practice known as "account renting."
As The Mail on Sunday reported, this involves individuals who are legally permitted to work signing up for the platforms and then subletting their accounts to others. This allows asylum seekers—who are generally barred from paid employment during the first 12 months of their claim—to operate as self-employed couriers under another person's identity.
Operation Equalise and the 151 arrested couriers
This Shoreditch camp is not an isolated incident but part of a broader trend of irregular migration intersecting with the gig economy. The scale of the issue was highlighted by "Operation Equalise," a police crackdown conducted last summer. During this operation, authorities checked 1,482 riders, resulting in 151 arrests and at least 17 deportations.
The data from Operation Equalise suggests that more than one in ten couriers stopped by police were working illegally. this indicates that the "account renting" loophole is a systemic feature of the urban delivery landscape rather than a series of rare occurrences, providing a precarious lifeline for migrants while undermining national employment laws.
Emma O'Donnell's fears and the lack of running water
The encampment has created significant tension with the local Shoreditch community. One resident, 42-year-old Emma O'Donnell, described the experience of walking past the camp as "running the gauntlet," noting that the presence of the men feels alarming to those living nearby.
Beyond the social friction, there are pressing hygiene concerns. The lack of running water for the riders—who handle food for thousands of customers—raises questions about food safety and public health. However, the report suggests that most consumers remain oblivious to the living conditions of the couriers delivering their meals.
Allegations of drug dealing and the silence of the Sudanese riders
Significant questions remain regarding the activities occurring within the camp . Local residents have alleged that the Deliveroo and Gopuff uniforms provide a convenient cover for open drug dealing, claiming that riders cluster together to facilitate transactions under the guise of waiting for app alerts.
These claims remain unverified, as the Sudanese migrants in the camp are largely guarded and often refuse to answer questions. It remains unclear whether the camp is primarily a sanctuary for exploited workers or if it has become a hub for illicit trade, a distinction that the riders themselves are unwilling to clarify.
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