A protest against the site being used to house asylum seekers was held in Braintree on Saturday (Image: Jacqueline Lawrie/LNP)
A man living close to a site being used to accommodate asylum seekers said he chased a migrant away from near his home. Hundreds of asylum seekers are believed to be staying at the controversial Wethersfield asylum centre, a former RAF base, in Essex.
A protest against the site was held in nearby Braintree on Saturday, while local Tory MP and former home secretary James Cleverly wrote to ministers seeking “clear and unambiguous reassurance” that it will be closed and decommissioned as planned next spring. Local resident Jeff said people in the village of Wethersfield do not feel safe. He shared how he chased a migrant away from his property late at night.
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There has been local opposition to the Wethersfield asylum centre (Image: PA)
Speaking to GB News, he said: “We’ve had them at 5.30am down our lane. We are down a private lane.
“I’ve had one random guy wandering around in the yard at midnight.
“We’ve gone down, chased him down the road, and then found another one come out the bushes all of a sudden.
Hundreds of asylum seekers are staying at the former RAF Wethersfield in Essex (Image: Getty)
“You don’t know who is around, hence the big dog.
“I shouldn’t have to get stressed out going to work, leaving the wife and family here.”
Footage shared with GB News reportedly showed one man, believed to be an asylum seeker, seemingly breaking an 11pm curfew by walking down the lane in darkness.
Jeff answered “no” when asked if people feel safe living near the asylum seeker accommodation at the former RAF Wethersfield.
In a letter to Home Office minister Alex Norris, Mr Cleverly said the site is “creating real problems in the local area”.
He wrote: “House sales have collapsed, new families are not moving into the area, parents are increasingly unwilling to send their children to the local primary school, its roll is failing and is at risk of closing due to financial unviability.”
He added that the “negative impact is not just on the local communities”.
“Aslyum seekers housed at the site are transported to surrounding towns and villages with little to do other than hang around,” said Mr Cleverly.
“Groups of bored young men, in any circumstances, is intimidating and local shopkeepers have reported declining footfall. These developments are contributing to rising tension and division within communities that have already shown considerable patience and cooperation.”
In Braintree, locals also expressed their concerns about the asylum centre.
One man told GB News: “It’s a nightmare. They bus them in on a Wednesday and there’s loads of them hanging around the streets.”
In a statement, the Home Office said: “This Government will close every asylum hotel and work is well underway, with more suitable sites, such as military bases, being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs.
“The Wethersfield site provides functional accommodation for asylum seekers and is designed to be as self-sufficient.”
