Squatters in "Normal Interaction" Shock

An empty house in Rose Hill was squatted by homeless people on Saturday night. The next door neighbour informed the police of the presence of unknown people in the house and calmly advised the squatters that they should get out as the police were coming. The squatters thanked him for his notice but stayed and informed the police that the house was squatted. Seeing that the house was occupied, the doors and windows were all firmly closed and a Section 6 notice was displayed, the police correctly left the issue in the hands of the owners, Oxford City Council.

The next scene was one of spectacular banality. The calm and forthright neighbour informed the squatters in no uncertain terms but without the use of threats or harsh language that this was a neightbourhood of families with children and they did not want to be kept up at night. The squatters replied cheerfully that they were easily able to agree to being pleasant neighbours. The 25-year resident of the neighbourhood then left them to their work, only coming over one more time to offer hot water, an offer which was gladly taken up by the squatters as they removed six months' worth of filth from the kitchen. The previous tenant was described by various neghbours as "not the cleanest person in the world".