Protest-hit UK town wins bid to empty asylum-seeker hotel

Protests broke out in Epping in July after an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl, which he denies

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Police officers stand outside the The Bell Hotel, which houses asylum seekers, in Epping, northeast of London. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:42am, 20 Aug 2025Updated: 9:27am, 20 Aug 2025

A UK judge on Tuesday blocked asylum seekers from being housed at a hotel in a town which has witnessed violent protests, dealing a blow to the government.

The High Court judge approved a request by the local authority in Epping, northeast of London, for a temporary injunction to stop migrants from being housed at the Bell Hotel.

The ruling, which came after the interior ministry was unsuccessful in trying to dismiss the case, raises questions about the government’s ability to provide accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees.

It also comes as Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces serious political heat from the hard-right Reform UK party for failing to stop irregular migrants crossing the Channel to England on small boats.

Protests broke out in Epping in July after an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, which he denies.

Since then, hundreds of people have taken part in protests and counter-protests outside the Bell Hotel. Further anti-immigration demonstrations have also spread to London and around England.

The council argued that putting the migrants in the Bell Hotel presented a “clear risk of further escalating community tensions”.

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