All residents removed from Epping asylum seeker hotel after protests
Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) has confirmed that all residents have been removed from The Bell Hotel in Essex, which was used to house asylum seekers and was the site of protests last year.
The council said on Thursday it was aware that the Home Office had evacuated all residents, leaving only security personnel in the area.
EFDC expressed surprise at this sudden move, stating: “We did not know in advance that this would happen, despite our ongoing contacts with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We are awaiting clarification from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the details of what happened and what the next steps will be.”
It is understood that the removal of residents was a precautionary measure due to concerns about fire safety regulations. The hotel became infamous last year after resident Hadush Kebatu sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
Kebatu was found guilty of five crimes, including sexual assault, and was jailed. He was later re-detained and deported to Ethiopia after being mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford last October.
The council had previously fought against the hotel’s use for refugee accommodation and lost its bid at the Court of Appeal in March.
The aim of this appeal was to overturn a Supreme Court decision in November last year which rejected the EFDC’s attempt to obtain an injunction preventing hotel owner Somani Hotels from accommodating asylum seekers there.
A Home Office spokesman commented on the wider strategy: “The government is removing the incentives that attract illegal immigrants to Britain. “We are closing all asylum hotels and moving asylum seekers to essential accommodation, including former military sites.
“The refugee population in hotels fell by 35 percent last year, and by 63 percent compared to its peak under the previous government.”
