Tents beneath Hong Kong bus terminuses that have drawn online complaints during mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” holiday are being used by foreign domestic helpers, who say they have nowhere else to go on days off.

Images of tents lining streets across the city, from Tai Po to Central and Tseung Kwan O, have circulated widely on social media in recent days.

Some posts suggested mainland visitors were camping, as tourist numbers surged during the holiday period.

However, visits by the South China Morning Post found those resting there were domestic helpers, many of whom said they had been gathering at the areas intermittently for about two years.

“We come here because it’s near where we live, and there isn’t really anywhere else we can stay,” said a domestic helper who identified herself only as Cecilia at a bus terminus near Lohas Park’s Hemera Topaz block in Tseung Kwan O.

“Sometimes we go to Central if there’s a party, but mostly we just stay here.”