Surrey bylaw officers, police and city engineering department staff descended on a homeless camp Thursday morning in Whalley.
A group of homeless had built a small camp near the 10700-block 135A Street just over a week ago, and the city was called in to clean it up.
Surrey Manager of Bylaw Enforcement Jas Rehal told The Leader Thursday the object was not to displace the group, but to move them along temporarily so cleaners could clean human feces from the street.
He said it's his understanding that a growing number of people coming to the area are arriving from neighbouring cities looking for social services.
He has instructed staff to deal with the issue sensitively "like you were entering someone's home."