A HOMELESS man managed to get out of his tent moments before it was engulfed in flames after being set alight by thugs.

50-year-old Shaun Hibbert, who has become a familiar face around Bolton, was alerted by his dog, Bruce, a long haired wire Jack Russell, after the tent was set ablaze in the early hours of the morning on Trinity Street earlier this month.

Mr Hibbert, who is formerly from Great Lever, said: “I was asleep in the tent and it was probably the dog that saved my life because he started barking, which in turn woke me up.

“The person responsible was running away but it burnt the side of my tent.”

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Mr Hibbert said his concern after the fire was more for his dog, after the pair were forced to sleep into the doorway of a nearby supermarket, until earlier this week. Now, a good samaritan has donated a replacement tent after somebody advertised his plight at Bolton Market.

Mr Hibbert said he has spent many years on the streets in Plymouth, Manchester and latterly in Bolton where he had accommodation provided by Bolton Council, but bills and red tape had got on top of him and he lost it as a result.

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He explains: “Whenever I end up in accommodation, things get on top of me and I start drinking heavily, so being on the streets means that I don’t have all those issues to deal with where I don’t drink or get involved with other people who are maybe taking drugs.

"My sleeping on the streets goes back many years, but I first went down to Plymouth because I had nowhere to go. I was down there for two years and then I came back up north, I found somewhere to live and got a job and then that fell through and I was all set to return to Plymouth but ended up going through Manchester and in the end spent five years there, before returning to Bolton.”

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It’s not the first time he has been subjected to hideous attacks. Mr Hibbert, who is surrounded by sacks of clothing members of the public have donated to him, says that since he moved onto Trinity Street he has had five tents damaged or stolen.

The Bolton News reported in the summer ago that somebody had thrown all of his belongings, including his tent over the wall onto disused land, which backs on to where he had pitched the tent. He claims he has also had people stealing spare change and even dog food when he is out and about.

But the kindness of others saw that tent replaced and he has bags of clothing which people have donated to him during his time down there. He added: “I have not decided how much longer I am going to stay here but I like my own company and that of the dog, who I have had for 12 years.

“On and off, I have been living on the streets for 30 years and we have done five winters together.”

Dave Bagley, the chief executive of Urban Outreach a charity which helps homeless people in Bolton said that there were Winter Watch initiative planned to help homeless people in the town over this winter, details of which would be announced in the coming weeks. He explained: “I believe that people have the right to choose whether or not they want to live on the streets, but so long as it pure choice and it’s not the result or an inability through illness to make poor choices.

“We have seen people who want to live in some more remote or more obscure location by themselves and not to be bothered, but Mr Hibbert has put his tent on a main thoroughfare in Bolton where he is bound to attract quite a lot of attention.”

Mr Bagley added: “There are so many reasons why they are in that situation and it’s too simple to say it’s their fault.”