Residents of a quiet Surrey village are at war with the Home Office after asylum seekers were moved into a £500,000 cottage just 200 yards from the local primary school — without any warning to locals or the council.
The placement in Laleham, Surrey, came to light only after an Afghan national in his early 20s was arrested at the property on suspicion of harassment, having allegedly returned to the school despite being told to stay away by police. He is now understood to be held at a secure facility under the Mental Health Act.
Parents claim the suspect had been seen loitering near the school during drop-off and pick-up times for several days and had shouted at women walking alone.
The move is part of a Government drive to house migrants outside hotels. Developers do not need planning permission to convert a home into a small house of multiple occupation — or HMO — for up to six unrelated individuals, meaning hundreds or thousands of properties across the country could be switched without oversight.
According to The Sun, Spelthorne Borough Council told worried residents: "It would appear that this has happened without the normal risk assessment and communication from the Home Office to the local agencies. The council has written directly to the Home Office asking for an explanation and an assurance that this will not happen again."
Local councillor Sinead Mooney is reported to have said: "It came as a bolt out of the blue to the elected members of the council. We feel this is a really unsuitable location and we've asked what mechanisms there are for local councillors and MPs to raise concerns where a location is identified which is plainly unsuitable.
"It's all come out through parents raising questions about activities outside the school."
One parent said: "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."
Local Spelthorne Tory MP Lincoln Jopp confronted Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions, demanding: "Who was responsible for the risk assessment that put him there? Who screwed up, and who can I hold accountable?"
Sir Keir said: "Obviously, this is a live police investigation, and I know the Asylum Minister is looking very closely at this case. Can I reassure him that all accommodation must meet contractual standards and the Home Office works with the police to manage all sites safely. Local authorities are consulted prior to any accommodation being procured and can object to any proposal."
Despite that assurance, council sources insisted they have no record of any communication from the Government — directly contradicting the Home Office's denial of secrecy.
In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Mr Jopp wrote: "As you can imagine, my constituents are understandably very concerned about the safety of their children and, indeed, their own safety. I would be grateful if you would investigate this as a matter of urgency and also confirm that the proper safeguarding checks have been made on all HMOs used by the Home Office in Spelthorne.
"I would also add that no such placements should be made within the vicinity of schools."
