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Epping council wins bid to stop Bell Hotel housing asylum seekers Epping council wins bid to stop Bell Hotel housing asylum seekers
(32 minutes later)
A council has won its High Court bid to temporarily block asylum seekers from being housed at The Bell Hotel in Essex – despite a late bid by the government to intervene. The Bell Hotel has been at the centre of intense protests over the summer
The injunction was sought by Epping Forest District Council to stop migrants being placed at the venue in Epping, which is owned by Somani Hotels Limited. Asylum seekers are due to be removed from an Essex hotel after a council was granted a temporary High Court injunction blocking them from being housed there.
Thousands of people have protested near the site in recent weeks after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The injunction was sought by Epping Forest District Council to stop migrants being placed at The Bell Hotel in Epping, which is owned by Somani Hotels Limited.
Mr Justice Eyre made his judgement after refusing an 11th hour effort from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to get the council's case dismissed. Thousands of people have protested near the hotel in recent weeks after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town.
The Home Office had warned the outcome would "substantially impact" its ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK. Mr Justice Eyre made his judgement after refusing an 11th-hour effort from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to get the council's case dismissed.
But Conservative council leader Chris Whitbread said repeated protests in Epping were escalating tensions in the community and risked causing "irreparable harm". All asylum seekers must be moved out of the hotel by 16:00 BST on 12 September, the judge ruled.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. The Home Office had warned the decision would "substantially impact" its ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts. But Conservative council leader Chris Whitbread said repeated protests in Epping were escalating tensions in the area and risked causing "irreparable harm".
Reacting to the court ruling, he added: "The last few weeks have placed an intolerable strain on our community but today we have some great news.
"For the first time in weeks we can see a chink of light at the end of the tunnel."
Sixteen people have been charged with offences relating to disturbances during several protests, which sparked counter-demonstrations in support of migrants, which Essex Police said became violent on occasion.
Representing the council, Philip Coppel KC agreed some protests "have unfortunately been attended by violence and disorder".
He said Somani Hotels "did not advise or notify the local planning authority" to seek its views on the use of the site.
He argued that as far as asylum seekers were concerned it was "no more a hotel than a borstal [was] to a young offender".