Lorraine Kavanagh, 70, who has been working for a local charity on the Isle of Dogs for 42 years, said they serve over 1,000 people, most in employment, a week in their food bank, who “still cannot afford to come in here [the Britannia International Hotel] for one night for an anniversary or for a birthday”.

She continued: “The school holidays have now started […] so the kids are now out on the streets, where they should be; they should be out there playing.

“Parents should not be terrified that their children are out and could be […] approached, spoken to by people who have no passports, no identity.”