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'I saw woman breastfeeding gang in UK's weirdest town but then things got violent'

Glastonbury is 'swamped' with homeless families living in motorhomes and caravans, but with the massive influx of newcomers comes a series of social problems

[One Glastonbury local told how she was assaulted after trying to prevent a woman exposing herself]

One Glastonbury local told how she was assaulted after trying to prevent a woman exposing herself(Image: YouTube/Joe Fish)

For many years, Glastonbury has been synonymous with an alternative lifestyle scene which has seen it gain a reputation as the "UK's weirdest town".

But, according to one local, some members of the Somerset towns nomadic van-dweller community are taking Glastonburys reputation for offbeat behaviour to bizarre extremes.

Podcaster Joe Fish spoke to locals and van lifers in a bid to discover the truth behind the tensions behind Glastonburys two communities. One woman he spoke to told a harrowing tale that began with public nudity and ended in violent assault.

Housing charity Crisis reckons more than 18,000 people in England alone are living in vehicles or tents. With no official figures, experts say numbers could be even higher. While Bristol is seen as the heart of this trend, council officials from Glastonbury say they are seeing 20 to 30 times more van-dwelling households than Bristol.

[Hundreds of caravans and motor homes are lined up in the shadow of Glastonbury Tor]

Hundreds of caravans and motor homes are lined up in the shadow of Glastonbury Tor(Image: YouTube/Joe Fish)

And with these van-dwelling households come significant problems, including waste disposal, substance abuse and, in many cases, anti-social behaviour. One Glastonbury local Joe spoke to told she was attacked in the street by another woman who she believes was a so-called van lifer.

She recalled: "I couldn't believe what this girl was doing. I opened the front door, and she was standing at a craft shop across the road. She had her breasts out of her bra and she was giving local boys who were circled around her either a group breastfeeding or a biology lesson.

Trying to intervene turned out to have violent consequences. She continued: I approached the situation, and the next thing I know she was kicking me around the ground like a football.

[As the caravans are not official dwellings, there are massive problems with rubbish disposal]

As the caravans are not official dwellings, there are massive problems with rubbish disposal(Image: YouTube/Joe Fish)

The woman claimed there was an issue with drinking and drug use in the region.

Joe explains that the explosion of people living in caravans, especially in the south-west of England, has been driven by the national homelessness crisis. He spoke to two men who had migrated through over 50 towns in the past year, starting in Manchester and ending up in Glastonbury, just to find somewhere to call home.

Weve had some horrible times, one of them said, adding that they found some sort of security in one of Glastonburys sprawling caravan encampments. But until the locals and newcomers can find some way to live together, the friction will only continue.

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