178 asylum seekers moved from ex-RAF base

A Freedom of Information request by the BBC showed 178 asylum seekers were removed from MDP Wethersfield in 2023 as it was deemed unsuitable for them

A total of 178 asylum seekers had to be moved from a former RAF base last year, the BBC has learned.

MDP Wethersfield in Essex opened as an asylum centre on 12 July and 967 people were sent there in the first five months.

Campaigners said the centre was not suitable and claimed there was a "child protection risk".

A Home Office spokesperson said: "If it emerges an asylum seeker is no longer suitable for the site, they will be moved to different accommodation."

15 children removed

In response to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC, the Home Office said “some individuals were not deemed suitable for accommodation at Wethersfield”.

The asylum seekers were removed because they were under 18 years old, were potential or confirmed victims of torture or trafficking, or suffered from severe mental health or suicidal tendencies.

Essex County Council said 15 children who had been living there were now in its care.

Maddie Harris, from Humans for Rights Network, said she had worked to remove under 18s from Wethersfield.

"It's a clear, major child protection risk," she said.

The Home Office did not provide a response to questions about under 18s at Wethersfield.

Fights broke out among different groups of asylum seekers at MDP Wethersfield

Prof Cornelius Katona, of human rights charity Helen Bamber Foundation, led a team of clinicians who helped asylum seekers at Wethersfield.

"It is clear that the Home Office is frequently placing people who are suffering from mental illness or have a significant trauma history in Wethersfield," said Prof Katona.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We continue to provide accommodation for asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute to meet our legal obligation.

"The accommodation provided at Wethersfield meets all relevant housing and health and safety standards".

'Clearly unsuitable'

Lawyer Emily Soothill said her firm Deighton Pierce Glynn had represented asylum seekers removed from Wethersfield.

“We find it very concerning that so many of our clients have been selected for transfer to Wethersfield given that the majority appear to be clearly unsuitable to be accommodated there," she said.

The Home Office website states “upon arrival in the UK, all individuals are offered a health check at Western Jet Foil in Dover and Manston, Kent”.

They are then assessed on their suitability to be housed at MDP Wethersfield.

Asylum seekers are free to leave MDP Wethersfield and 23 left and never returned in 2023, according to the Freedom of Information response

23 absconded

The Freedom of Information (FOI) response to the BBC said 23 asylum seekers absconded in 2023 and "had not returned”.

“If an asylum seeker was presented as homeless after their departure, they would be offered Wethersfield as an accommodation in which they can either choose to accept or decline,” it said.

Asylum seekers are free to leave MDP Wethersfield and buses are put on for them to travel to and from Essex towns and cities.

The Home Office website states “there is no curfew, but asylum seekers are expected to be back on site by 11pm, with those who do not return being contacted to ascertain their whereabouts”.

The Home Office has not commented on the whereabouts of the 23 who left.

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