In a road where houses are worth at least £500,000 each and residents live comfortably, three homeless people are living in a dark, cold and gloomy garage.

Peter Willmer from Whitstable has been living in the doorless garage, off West Cliff for nearly a year.

Tanya Burnett,40, and 49-year-old Clive Wingham recently moved there, alongside Mr Willmer, and say all they want is ‘to be able to close a front door.’

Brian Thompson found the three friends when he was walking his dog and says it’s disgraceful they haven’t been helped by the council or housing association.

Mr Thompson, of Glebe Way, Whitstable said: ”They don’t appear to be drug addicts or alcoholics.

“The council come round every week or so or once every fortnight to check on them.

“It’s disgraceful that people are living in these conditions.

“The Co-op own the garage and they accept them, they give left-overs like bread and pastries at the end of the day.

“The council haven’t offered them any accommodation.

“It is terrible we aren’t accommodating these people. We can’t accommodate our own people but we are taking in immigrants.”

Homeless mother-of-three Tanya, said: “I was going to the day centre for a while. Before Christmas they were letting us stay at the church but only 16 people were allowed to stay and they were the most vulnerable.

“I got evicted for rent arrears when I lived by Whitstable station.

“The evenings are horrible, it gets really cold and it’s coming up to winter. It’s going to be freezing,” she said.

“When I got kicked out of my digs that’s when it just spiralled out of control.

The trio use Whistable’s 24-hour public toilets and go to the Umbrella Centre once a week for a bowl of soup, but Mr Willmer says they can go three days without eating.

“As long as there’s no noise and we pick up our rubbish, it’s OK. The manager from the Co-op has been really good,” said Tanya Burnett.

To keep themselves warm they are given clothes by charity shops and blankets.

Mr Willmer added: “We go and sit on a bench in the day, just to kill time, kill our lives.”

“We have got each other, if we were on our own it would be a struggle,”

The council has told him he needs to try and get a job but the 49-year-old worries how he can do this with no way to wash or get a change of clothes to wear for an interview.

“I would like a bed and to be able to close a front door, just anything - running water and a toilet.”

Tanya said she would just love somewhere to stay and feel safe.

Canterbury City Council assistant director of direct services Larissa Reed says there has been support and advice to the trio for several months, sometimes with the help of homeless charity Porchlight.

She said: “This work is ongoing but it is important to stress that this also requires the engagement of the individuals.

"Mr Wingham has been accepted onto our housing needs register, but has not made a bid for a property since May.

“Mr Willmer has been accepted onto the register, too, but has only made one bid for a property since July.

“Ms Burnett has not been accepted onto the register because she made herself intentionally homeless from her previous accommodation, but she has been given information about the options open to her.

“I would like a bed and to be able to close a front door, just anything - running water and a toilet" - Peter Willmer

“We remain available to help these individuals access suitable accommodation.”

Housing need applicants are able to place bids on suitable properties through the Kent Homechoice website.

Properties are advertised online on a weekly basis.

For those who find access to the internet difficult there are other options available.

Mrs Reed said: “They can either call our contact centre on an ad hoc basis, where a customer service adviser can advise of the properties available and can put a bid on a property on an applicant’s behalf, or we can place bids on a regular basis if a customer advises us they want us to and gives their specific requirements, such as a particular area they would like to live in.”