Rumours of asylum hotel plans quashed

Knowsley Council said the Tarbock Green site "is not used, and will not be used, for asylum seeker accommodation".

A council has quashed rumours that a hotel and a former pub nearby will be used to accommodate asylum seekers.

Knowsley Council said the Tarbock Green site on Wilson Road, Huyton "is not used, and will not be used, for asylum seeker accommodation".

The authority spoke out after rumours circulated online about the site, which is owned by The Whitbread firm.

The company, which owns the Premier Inn chain, had submitted a planning application to change the technical designation of the former Chapel Brook pub to a restaurant.

'False speculation'

A Knowsley Council spokesperson said: "[The site] on Wilson Road in Huyton is privately owned by Whitbread.

"Both the owner of the hotel and the contractor working for the Home Office on such projects have confirmed that the hotel is not used, and will not be used, for asylum seeker accommodation.

"Any such suggestion is a typical example of the false speculation and rumour which often arises on social media and we would advise people not to believe everything they hear from such sources."

Inaccurate social media posts have been blamed for the disorder in the UK since the killing of three girls at a Southport dance class two weeks ago.

A number of people have been injured, while asylum seekers’ accommodation, mosques and businesses have been damaged following unfounded rumours that the UK-born suspect, who has no known links to Islam, was a Muslim asylum seeker who recently arrived by boat.

The Online Safety Act, which will be implemented in 2025, will require platforms to put in place safety measures to prevent illegal and other harmful content from appearing on their sites.

However London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged the government to revisit social media rules, saying the recent disorder showed the upcoming regulations were "not fit for purpose".