Three hotels just minutes away from one Britain’s most popular beaches are being used to house asylum seekers in the height of the summer holidays.
A total of 304 rooms across the trio of hotels have been taken over by Home Office officials in Bournemouth.
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The three hotels lie just minutes away from one Britain’s most popular beaches
The decision has sparked fury from holidaymakers who forked out hefty sums to stay in the popular tourist hub.
34-year-old PE teacher Stewart Brown told The Sun: “It doesn’t sit nicely with me. We’ve spent about £1,200 to come here. Before I came down, my dad made me aware of the asylum hotels.
“I think if you were staying around there you might feel uneasy about it, especially if you have young children.
“I suppose if you start seeing reviews saying that the crime rate around this area is increasing, I think it would be blocking people coming into the area on holiday.”
While 70-year-old great-grandmother, Susan Beacham, said: “I don’t think they should be in hotels like that, if they’ve come here illegally.
“That they’re on the seaside makes me cross. It makes me scared to walk around at night when we’ve paid so much to come somewhere nice.”
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‘That they’re on the seaside makes me cross. It makes me scared to walk around at night,’ Susan Beacham said
One of the hotels, a 79-room multi-storey complex just yards from the beach, boasts a swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip fumed: “Bournemouth’s tourist trade is being put at risk by the Government.
“Labour promised to smash the gangs and end hotel use.
“Both promises lie in tatters and Bournemouth – along with the rest of the country – is paying the price for Labour’s massive failures.
Bournemouth has seen a rise in murders, sexual assaults and stabbings in recent years.
And a local volunteer force has been established to self-police violence and anti-social behaviour in the town.
The 200-strong group, known as The Safeguard Force, consists of security professionals, first aid workers and other residents concerned with the town’s rising crime rates.
The group’s founder, Gary Bartlett, said that the volunteers will seek to “protect the most vulnerable in our town – especially women, children and the elderly”.
A Government spokesman said: “From over 400 asylum hotels under the previous Government, there are now fewer than 210, and we want them all closed by the end of this Parliament.”
