Residents complain their lives being made a misery and their village has become a 'no go zone' after a migrant hotel was opened nearby

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

It boasts almost 50 listed buildings and a conservation area at its centre.
But villagers in the pretty Northamptonshire village of Crick said their community is becominga 'no-go zone' because of a migrant hotel nearby.
The idyllic village, which has a population of around 2,000, features thatched houses, a marina and hosts an annual boat show and the quirkier summer scarecrow and music festival.
But residents claim Crick, renowned for its many buildings carved from local ironstone, has gone downhill with late-night football matches and packs of men roaming the streets since a nearby Ibis hotel began housing migrants at the end of last year.
Some locals are too scared to let their children out after dark after a woman was attacked in nearby Rugby, over the county border in Warwickshire, last week.
Asylum seeker Ahmed Muhammad Almahi, 32, has been charged with sexual assault and is due to appear at Warwick Crown Court next month.
News of the suspected assault has shocked local residents and led to an angry crowd of hundreds protesting outside the 111-room hotel last Friday evening.
Community leaders are now demanding that Serco, the outsourcing giant which manages asylum housing contracts for the Home Office across the Midlands, take a tougher stance on migrants staying at the hotel.
Crick Parish Council issued a statement saying: 'The parish council is aware of and is extremely concerned about recent incidents involving the Ibis hotel at Crick.
'Regarding the use of the playing field, the parish council has contacted Serco directly.
'Serco have told us that they cannot impose a curfew, and the residents are not prevented from leaving the hotel.
'Serco have said that they will speak to the hotel residents about using the playing field at night and making a noise.
'It is worth reiterating that the decision to house immigrants at the Ibis was a central government decision and was not supported by West Northamptonshire Council or Crick Parish Council, both of whom strongly object.'
The council also urged residents to contact police if they witness any criminal activity.
The Ibis Rugby East hotel is situated around a mile from the edge of the village, on the other side of the M1 and ordinarily serves the DRIFT logistics park and rail freight terminal.
But residents in Crick, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book, say the area now 'feels overrun' by migrants.
One villager, who was too scared to be named, said: 'I don't want them here - they have come here illegally but are treated as guests.
'We have a really big problem in Crick. It feels like the whole place is overrun with them.
'They go to the park in the afternoon and play football, sometimes late at night and are always in large groups. They are rowdy and people living nearby can't sleep.
'They've been told to stop doing that as it's a park for children, not adults, but they just carried on.
'We heard one boy got his football stolen on there.
'It's quite intimidating when you're walking the dog and you come across theses packs of men everywhere.'
A father-of-two said he is 'worried' about letting his daughters go out after dark.
He said: 'As a dad of two teenage girls I am worried about them even walking round the corner from a friend's house.
'I can understand these people are bored and are waiting to be processed but they're making our lives a misery.
'If I could move my family to another town I would do but I don't think anyone would want to move in next to a migrant hotel.'
Another said: 'I see them knocking around regularly, along the green.
'Some get on the bus and don't bother paying the fare, which causes all sorts of problems.
'They need somewhere to go.
'Just not here. The government has a lot to answer for - it's turning our village into a hell hole.'
The hotel had previously housed migrants under a 12-month contract running from late 2022.
Stuart Andrew, Conservative MP for the Daventry Constituency covering Crick, said safety of residents in his area is his 'highest priority'.
He added: 'I have been consistently raising concerns with the Home Office about the situation in Crick.
'I will continue working closely with local authorities to help ensure our communities are safe for all.'
Liberal Democrat councillor Rosie Humphreys, who represents the Crick ward, previously said: 'I am in complete agreement with Crick Parish Council's position that the Ibis is totally unsuitable for use as a contingency hotel.
'The Ibis lacks any facilities close by and is in a remote location - it beggars belief that the Home Office can think it appropriate to use this hotel again.
'Even if the government has inherited an asylum system that is all but broken, with thousands stuck in a backlog without their claims processed, this is no reason to make a bad decision again by reopening the Ibis for asylum seekers.'
Past residents of he village include Archbishop William Laud, a one-time rector of Crick who became Archbishop of Canterbury but was accused of treason and beaheaded in January 1645. In the 1960s, the famous pop group of the era, The Fortunes, also lived locally.
Northamptonshire Police have deployed extra patrols to the village in a bid to 'offer reassurance' to residents.
A force spokeswoman said: 'We are aware a man from Crick has been charged with sexual assault by Warwickshire Police following an incident in Rugby on Tuesday, August 5.
'We know this incident has caused concern to people living in the area and our Neighbourhood Policing Team have been completing extra patrols in Crick in recent days to offer reassurance.'
A spokesman for Serco said: 'Serco is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers on behalf of the Government.
'However, under Home Office rules, asylum seekers are free to come and go from their accommodation as they wish.
This is not a detention centre and we do not run a security operation.
'All asylum seekers are given an induction into what is expected of anyone living in the UK and in common with everyone else living in this country, they are expected to obey the laws of the land.
'Any anti-social behaviour or illegal activities should be reported to the Police who will handle the issue.'
Accor, the hotel group that includes Ibis within its portfolio of brands, said the hotel was independently owned and operated and added: 'Its alternative use follows an agreement between the owner of the property and the Home Office.'