North Petherton welcomes hundreds of asylum seekers

A mayor has said asylum seekers who are living in a town hotel have been welcomed by the community.

The hotel in North Petherton was block-booked by the government around seven months ago and is housing about 250 asylum seekers.

Phillip Spencer said after some initial "disquiet", residents had welcomed them and they were helping in the community.

The Home Office said it is "committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use" for asylum seekers.

North Petherton has a population of about 10,000 people.

"There was some disquiet when it was first found out. We had very little notification initially," said the mayor.

"Since then I've had two or three people who've complained but on the whole they've been welcomed by everybody.

"They've helped with litter-picking, they're playing cricket with our cricket team and I hope they're enjoying some freedoms," added Mr Spencer.

Helen, 46, from Democratic Republic of Congo, has been sharing a room in the hotel for six months with her 13-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter, who attend local schools.

"They have been happy to meet new friends - it's a welcoming place," she said.

"I'm keeping myself busy - every Monday I come to exercise [at the community hall] because sleeping in my room all the time is no good at all, and I am volunteering at a charity shop every Monday and Friday.

"I don't want to be depressed staying in the room watching tv all the time," added Helen.

Dave Mann, from Charis Refugees, which supports displaced people in Somerset, said the hotel had been a "big ask" of the local community.

"The people of Somerset have stood up and said 'we're going to make this happen'," he said.

"My hat goes off to the education department who've got children at the hotel into schools; they've all been registered with a doctor - but it is a pressure.

"Everyone I've met has a story, and most of them have incredible stories and they enrich our lives," added Mr Mann.

The government said there are currently about 51,000 people in hotels waiting for the Home Office to consider their claims for asylum.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The significant increase in illegal, unnecessary and dangerous channel crossings has put our asylum system under incredible strain and made it necessary to continue to use hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers.

"We are committed to making every effort to reduce hotel use and continue to engage with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation."

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