FOURTEEN PEOPLE SLEPT rough on Dublin’s streets during last night’s blizzard.

A warning had been issued urging people to shelter indoors between 4pm yesterday and midday today. That advice has been lifted.

However, despite that warning, a number of what homeless services call “entrenched” rough sleepers slept outside.

A statement from the Peter McVerry Trust said 115 people stayed in the charity’s emergency shelter in a sports hall in Dublin.

“Last night a total of 115 people were allocated beds in the Extreme Cold Weather Accommodation in the sports centre in Dublin’s South Inner City

On the street, Peter McVerry Trust staff were out in the city centre engaging with rough sleepers until 5.30am this morning. They identified a total of 21 people, 6 of whome were persuaded to access extreme cold weather shelter and one person who was accommodated in a Garda station.

“A total of 14 people refused access to shelter.”

On Tuesday, Dublin City Council’s homeless executive had 220 reports through its rough sleeper alert system, which it is asking members of the public to use if they have a concern about a homeless person.

• You can find the reporting system here.

The Inner City Helping Homeless (ICCH) voluntary organisation will have outreach teams working again tonight and they can be alerted to anyone sleeping rough by calling 01 8881804 or 085 8389281.

The weather will stay bitterly cold over the coming days,

Read: Shelter indoors advice withdrawn, but conditions will remain ‘difficult’