Peter Dawe, English multi-millionaire and political candidate for the Brexit Party, recently sparked controversy for unveiling a bizarre sleep pod for homeless people out of two plastic trash cans.

Mr Dawe, who showcased his new invention in a now-viral video, said that he came up with the idea for the plastic sleep pods after building a prototype for a single seat vehicle out of a plastic trash can. In the process of building his plastic ca he got inside the trash can and was surprised by how comfortable it felt. It wasn’t a bed, but it definitely beat sleeping on the street, so the multi-millionaire, who runs several businesses and projects, set out to create a viable sleeping solution for the homeless out of the humble trash can.

Photo: video screengrab

I saw on the telly rough sleepers complaining they had been kicked and pissed upon; lying on the street in a sleeping bag, you are very vulnerable,” Peter Dawe told The Mirror. “I think it is more comfortable and more secure sleeping in a sleep pod, rather than being huddled in a wet sleeping bag being kicked. I’m not solving homelessness or the rough sleeper problem, I’m just mitigating it or giving them the opportunity to.”

The bizarre sleep pods are made out of two red plastic garbage bins which turn on a hinge to make enough room for someone to lie down in. Asked whether he had tried sleeping in one of his trash can contraptions himself, Dawe said that he had laid down in one for ten minutes and “was actually quite delighted”. Still, he admitted that the solution may not appeal to everyone.

Photo: video screengrab

“It is a Marmite design,” the businessman said. “Some people think it’s genius, others are actually horrified. I try not to make any presumptions, and in my view no one should either.”

Feedback online hasn’t been very positive, with people saying that while the homelessness problem in the UK is very serious, this is definitely not the way to go about solving it.

 

“This is possibly one of the worst and most demeaning inventions I’ve ever seen. Bear in mind that you could buy a cheap tent for that price and it might actually work to sleep in,” Matthew Taylor said.

“People genuinely think shipping containers for the homeless are a great idea, well this is next level stuff,” one Graeme Stewart commented.