Hundreds, possibly thousands, of ‘invisible’ Eastern European migrants are sleeping destitute and rough in Bradford.

The ‘off-the-radar’ migrants are being left to live in squalor without benefits or being able to seek shelter in the city’s hostels.

Yesterday, the Telegraph & Argus reported the accidental death of Slovakian migrant Pavol Medzei, who had lived his last four years in an outside toilet and slept on a mattress in a hole in a wall at the back of a takeaway in Whetley Lane.

Helena Danielczuk, who works for Bradford’s Sharing Voices organisation, said it was tragic it had taken a man’s death to bring the public’s attention to the plight of other Eastern European migrants living in misery – many who had fallen on hard times because of scams.

She said migrants are often lured to Bradford by the promise of work but once they hand over passports and documentation never get them back. In other scams National Insurance details are sold on.

“It’s not just gullible, silly youngsters who fall into this trap. It can be professional, talented people who are taken in,” she said.

“Then they become lost, they go off-the-radar. Without documents they can’t officially register to work for the 12 months required by the EU until they can earn benefits so they have no money.”

Under EU law, Eastern Europeans can come into the UK as long as they are self-sufficient. They must pay £90 to the Home Office and then work continuously for 12 months to get the same status as other EU migrants.

A break of anything more than 30 days means the migrant has to re-start the 12 months from scratch.

Miss Danielczuk said: “All it needs is for them to fall on hard-times. Lose their job, get sick and they are out on their ear. Because they have no work and no money, no benefits and no recourse for public funds, they can’t get help.”

Other groups set up in the city have also reported increasing numbers of Eastern European migrants desperate for help.

Many hostels only take people who have recourse for public funds and rights to benefit – because that is where their own funding comes from. It is only when temperatures fall to zero and below that Bradford Council gives beds regardless of benefit status.