Disused Folkestone barracks to be asylum seeker accommodation

Plans have been unveiled to house up 400 asylum seekers at a disused army barracks.

Folkestone MP Damian Collins has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel about the plan for Napier Barracks to become temporary accommodation.

He said he and district councillors had "great concerns" about the impact on local residents.

The Home Office said it was ensuring suitable accommodation for people while their claims are processed.

In his letter, Mr Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, said he and councils in Folkestone and Sandgate had been given "very little notice" of the decision.

He wrote: "We understand that they will be adults and families, but not unaccompanied children, and that many will be young men in their 20s and 30s, some of whom will have entered the UK by crossing the Channel from France in small, unauthorised vessels."

Mr Collins called on Ms Patel to reverse the decision and find more suitable accommodation.

He also wants the Home Office to clarify whether or not there would be additional funding for public services, such as the NHS or police, should they be required to attend the site.

The Home Office plans to house asylum seekers at the barracks in Folkestone from Monday 21 September.

A spokesperson said: "During these unprecedented times the government is working with a range of partners and across departments to secure further accommodation and the MOD has offered use of some of its sites.

"When using contingency accommodation we work closely with organisations, including local authorities and law enforcement, throughout the process to ensure value for money and that vulnerable asylum seekers, who would otherwise be destitute, have suitable accommodation while their claims are processed."