Earlier this month, news outlets reported that Westminster Cathedral had become a hotspot for the selling of hard drugs.
Worshippers reported witnessing drug deals during Holy Mass and in the side chapels around the cathedral. It also appeared that the alcoves outside the cathedral were being used as meeting points for dealers and consumers.
The Daily Mail and the Metro also released photos of alleged drug deals taking place on the steps of the 19th-century cathedral.
The drug dealing appears to be catering to the cohort of street homeless people who are disproportionately represented in Westminster, where the cathedral is situated. The London borough contains many of the capital’s historic landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. While real estate in the area remains prohibitively expensive for most of the UK population, it also attracts large numbers of homeless people seeking financial assistance.
