Locals near Heathrow protest against all-male asylum seeker hotel
Villagers have hit out after a hotel was turned into asylum seeker accommodation – with one woman claiming she lost her job as a result.
The Stanwell Hotel near Heathrow initially closed its doors to the public in 2022 – after the Home Office announced plans to use the premises to house migrants.
The move meant locals were forced to say goodbye to a beloved community premises – used for events like weddings, funerals, and Christmas and New Year's celebrations.
Initially, the hotel housed families seeking asylum in the UK, who, according to residents, made an effort to integrate with the community and posed no issues.
However, in recent months the hotel has been housing single male migrants, who locals say are threatening the safety of the community – particularly the women and children.
Alison Haskins, 53, is one of many residents who has started protesting about the hotel each evening.
She said: "It first became asylum seeker accommodation in 2022. I remember because I lost my job.
"I used to work in the hotel and then we were given a week's notice to say it was becoming a hotel for Ukrainians.
"But there were never any Ukrainians there.
"It basically all happened overnight. We weren't given any support with finding new jobs and we weren't even told directly what was happening – I had to tell others in the street.
"And it was a shame. Because that place was a community hub. People would have weddings and funerals there.
"But even though we didn't like the idea at first it was fine. There were no problems.
"The people who arrived were families and they just wanted to get on with their lives.
"They integrated with the community; their kids went to some of the local schools.
"But recently it's become male asylum seekers and things have changed.
"They lurk around the outside of the hotel or in the local parks and there's this general sense of intimidation.
"People are scared to walk alone on the street. I won't even let my son go alone to the park at the end of the road.
"A young girl was walking down the road the other day and she was followed and filmed by one of the migrants.
"I didn't go out much by myself anyway but I feel that even more so now."
Mrs Haskins is one of many residents in the community who has started protesting against the hotel.
She said: "We go there pretty much every night. It's purely peaceful. There's no shouting or intimidation. We wouldn't want anything like that.
"But we're just trying to get our point across to the Home Office that we're not happy.
"Before, all we wanted was for it to go back to being an asylum hotel for families – and not for groups of men.
"But now we don't trust that the Home Office won't just change it. So now we want it closed completely."
Ruma Sharma, 42, also feels intimidated by the residents of the hotel.
She said: "I go on evening walks every day but in recent months I just don't feel safe anymore. The community has changed.
"There's this atmosphere. I'm worried someone is going to come up and stab me or snatch my phone.
"And you see these articles about women being sexually assaulted by migrants. I don't open my door much anymore.
"I know that a young woman was followed along the road and filmed the other day. When she asked him to stop he started abusing her."
Ms Sharma said she also feels frustrated by the government using taxpayer money for the hotels.
She said: "As a taxpayer, and with the cost of living at the moment, it does feel unfair to me that I should be paying for these people to enjoy things for free.
"That's not their fault – they've come here for a better life. But it's the fault of the government who have made the decision to let people come here and provide them with these things.
"I came here as an economic migrant from India and I worked and saved for a decade to buy my house here. But they're living here for free.
"It doesn't seem right."
Ms Sharma added that the situation can be particularly difficult for her because of her ethnicity.
She said: "There have been protests about the situation too and I do feel concerned that I could be targeted because of my skin colour.
"It's all just been a bit of a nightmare."
Paul Hewson, 80, echoed Ms Sharma's comments about a sense of unfairness – but again stressed that it was the government's fault rather than the migrants.
He said: "Look, these poor people have come over here to try better their lives. It's not their fault.
"But the government is to blame because here they are giving them all these perks – free accommodation, free food, free phones.
"And meanwhile there are people who have served this country and they're sleeping in doorways on the streets.
"I think that's disgusting.
"And why is the government putting these people in hotels? That used to be a community hub – for weddings, funerals, tribute band nights.
"Now that's gone."
Mr Hewson also flagged the community's concerns around safety – particularly for children.
He said: "Another issue is that the government isn't vetting people properly.
"Again, it's not the fault of those coming here, but the government is allowing groups of unvetted men to live in an area where there are lots of children and schools.
"And I know there are women in the area too who are being intimidated while walking their dogs."
Another local couple, who did not want to be named, agreed that the issue became worse a few months ago.
They said: "It was fine when the hotel housed families but now it's mainly single men who are intimidating people in the community.
"They lurk outside smoking cannabis and I know people have been followed.
"One neighbour was told 'death becomes you' as he walked past.
"When it was the families they were integrating with the community but now there's no effort being made.
"You never get a smile or a 'hello' off any of them."
The couple said they were particularly angry with how the police were managing the situation.
They claimed that officers are often stationed outside the hotel – seemingly to police the community protests – but they allegedly fail to respond to calls for other local issues.
The residents said: "Our main gripe is with the police. Like we said, they're often standing out there smoking cannabis but the police do nothing.
"Meanwhile, if we stood outside on the street smoking cannabis, we'd get arrested.
"The other thing is that the police are out there all the time. They send them when we do protests and they stand outside the hotel.
"But when we call about issues in the park behind no one comes."
The couple said they wanted the hotel to be closed down – and said asylum seeker accommodation should only be used in towns and cities.
They said: "These hotels shouldn't be in small residential areas.
"For people here, the hotel was a community hub. There was a nice restaurant and bar. We'd go there for functions, New Year's Eve, Christmas.
"We want that back for the community.
"If you had the hotel in a city in a Premier Inn it wouldn't have such an impact. There would be other places for people to go.
"But here it's completely different."
The Home Office and Surrey Police were approached for comment.
READ MORE: New Twickenham Dads Club launches with next event this month.
We want to provide Twickenham with more and more clickbait-free local news. To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following. Help us survive and sign up for our free weekly newsletter by clicking the link HERE.
CHECK OUT OUR Jobs Section HERE!
twickenham vacancies updated hourly!
Click here to see more: twickenham jobs
