The asylum seeker was reportedly told by police to stay away from the local primary school but later held on suspicion of harassment after returning to the grounds. He has been transferred to a secure facility under the Mental Health Act, according to police.
Residents and councillors in Laleham were not informed about plans to place asylum seekers in a £500,000 cottage 200 yards from the school, according to reports. The house, converted into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) earlier this year, was purchased by a property developer for £501,000 last October. It is thought to have been rented to a Home Office contractor tasked with finding 'dispersal accommodation'.
It’s mind-boggling. I just don’t understand why you would put asylum seekers in the middle of a tiny village where there’s nothing to do and nowhere to go. The first duty of a Government is to keep people safe, but we don’t feel this was a safe thing to do.
Moving migrants into HMOs is part of Labour's policy to end the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers. Home Office minister Alex Norris said the use of hotels had 'spiralled out of control'. Critics have dubbed the policy 'Operation Scatter'. Laleham has around 2,500 residents and is located about five miles from Heathrow Airport.
According to Daily Express - UK News, one Laleham parent described the situation as 'mind-boggling' and questioned why asylum seekers would be placed in a tiny village with nothing to do. A neighbour said they suspected the house would become an HMO and doubted the asylum seekers could integrate. Long-time resident Terry Hunt said it was the wrong place to put asylum seekers, adding that taxpayers' money was not being used wisely.
It’s the wrong place to put asylum seekers. As a taxpayer, I think whoever makes these rules is not looking at the paperwork, or not looking at the situation. A lot of people have spent a lot of money on this village to live here. To suddenly say we’ve got asylum seekers to move in, and we’ll put them in the empty house —