Care4Calais to take High Court legal action over asylum at Wethersfield

Asylum seekers protested outside their accommodation on the former RAF base at Wethersfield

A charity said it would take High Court legal action against the Home Office after it used a former RAF base as asylum accommodation.

Care4Calais said it intended to argue the site, in Wethersfield, Essex, does not meet legally required standards and was "prison-like".

Asylum seekers housed there claimed they were treated like "animals left on a farm" and have suicidal thoughts.

The Home Office said residents' welfare was of the "utmost priority."

'Significant body of evidence'

In a Home Office online factsheet from November, the base was described as "safe accommodation for asylum seekers" which was "designed to be as self-sufficient as possible".

But the charity said the location was remote and it would argue in court that residents were effectively stripped of their liberty.

It added that it had a "significant body of evidence" that suitability criteria had not always been applied and people who had been subjected to torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence "were being routinely sent" to the site.

Nineteen emails, dated between September and November, about residents safeguarding concerns have been included in the submission to the court, the charity said.

The BBC understands there are between 400 and 500 asylum seekers currently being housed at the site

It comes after a report from the Helen Bamber Foundation (HBF), based on the experiences of 140 men, out of the 1,200 currently on the site, said Wethersfield Airfield caused "significant harm" to residents.

It said the accommodation was not suitable for people who have been subjected to extreme inhumane torture.

One man had suicidal thoughts since he arrived at Wethersfield, but when he shared this with members of staff, he claimed he was told that it was "normal in this environment".

In the report another man said: "I don't think I can take it anymore, these conditions are not humane, they don't care about us at all here. They treat us like animals left in a farm."

Salman from Iran said he had attempted suicide twice. He said: "It's very unsafe here, we hear gun shots many times. They are bringing new people every day, the food queue takes two hours, while the food is uneatable."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The welfare of individuals at the site is of the utmost priority. "All residents have access to medical support, including mental health support, and the food provided meets NHS Eatwell standards, catering for all cultural and dietary requirements. A 24/7 helpline provided by Migrant Help is available to raise any concerns."