'The churchyard is now being regularly used as a toilet while graves have been desecrated along with the church building itself.'
A Belfast church minister has expressed concern over the escalating drug problem amongst the city's homeless population.
"The churchyard is now being regularly used as a toilet while graves have been desecrated along with the church building itself. We have around 60 graves within the grounds and this desecration causes great distress to the families of those whose ashes are buried there. He added: "This is happening most nights now from late afternoon when people start to gather. We would request them to move and sometimes they do but then they return when we're not here.
"We have locked the church gates in the past but they have climbed over the railings anyway. We are restricted in what we can do to the railings at the front of the church because it's a listed building. Earlier this month, outreach workers in Belfast reported over 50 overdoses in a one week period in the city as drug deaths continue to increase year on year.
"My understanding from talking to people working with these various homeless charities is that there are sufficient beds in Belfast, generally speaking, but the prevalence and availability of drugs has increased.