Asylum hotel: Llanelli Stradey Park protest safety fear

An MP and an opponent of plans to house hundreds of asylum seekers in a hotel have both voiced concerns about people's safety amid protests.

The Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, is set to house up to 207 asylum seekers from 3 July.

MP Dame Nia Griffith appealed that nobody should be hurt and said hotel staff were under "immense stress".

Robert Lloyd, of protest group Furnace Action Committee, said the situation was "getting out of control".

"We are trying to object on reasonable grounds but there are elements creeping into town which lead me to fear for people's safety," he said.

Mr Lloyd, who described his group's campaign as "not racist or nimby (not in my back yard) in any way", said he was concerned that "commuter campaigners" were coming into town and being "threatening".

"I worry that somebody's going to be hurt or even killed in all this because it's getting a little bit out of control," he told the BBC Radio Wales Phone-In.

"I can see particularly on social media some of the things that are being said; it's quite awful."

Carmarthenshire council, which has said it is "firmly against" the Home Office plan, has confirmed the hotel will accommodate up to 207 people across 77 rooms.

On Tuesday, five boulders appeared at the entrance, with a hotel manager - who did not want to be identified - and the local authority saying they did not know who was responsible.

The Furnace Action Committee denied involvement in placing the boulders, but said it hoped it would help the hotel "see sense".

Dame Nia said: "What I would really stress to people is please don't let anybody get hurt.

"Please do not make it more difficult for the staff at this time, they're under immense stress with worries about their jobs," she told Radio Wales Breakfast.

"People have the absolute right to express opinions and protest but think not to cause any accidents or cause any unnecessary stress on the wrong people."

Carmarthenshire council leader Darren Price has previously said he was "outraged" the plan was going ahead.

"Even at this stage I call on the hotel owners, Sterling Woodrow, to reconsider their position and stop this from progressing," he said.

Last week, a couple from Llanelli said the plan has caused them "stress and sleepless nights" after paying £2,000 towards their October wedding at the hotel.

The Home Office said: "The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

"Under normal circumstances, someone seeking asylum in the UK would stay in a hostel-style accommodation, before being provided with longer term housing.

"Due to a backlog in asylum applications waiting a decision, has led to hotels like Stradey Park to be used."