Britain's new 'Wild West': This seaside resort was loved by families...but now three historic hotels shut to house migrants are stoking a feeling of unease

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

It's the south coast tourist mecca, famed for attracting tourists, partying students, families and stag dos seeking a relaxing seaside staycation.
But Bournemouth has become Britain's new 'Wild West', with locals avoiding parts of the town at night for fear of becoming a victim of crime.
In one street alone, two of the town's historic hotels have been turned into asylum seeker hotels, with dozens of criminals charges brought agains thtose staying there.
At Meyrick Road's Britannia and Roundhouse hotels, some 91 criminal charges have been levelled at migrants staying there.
It's a similar picture at the nearby Chine Hotel, a mile away, where another 25 charges against migrants have been brought following a spate of alleged crimes in the town.
Meyrick Road, once a bustling arterial route to Bournemouth's stunning sandy beach and town centre, is now plagued by a palpable feeling of unease.
'I used to walk comfortably in the evening, but I don't go out now,' one man, who lives near the hotels but was too scared to give his name, tells the Daily Mail.
'When I walk past the Roundhouse there are groups of people and you're never quite sure what's going to happen.'
'It's not the same place, that's for sure. It's a more dangerous place, without any doubt. Especially for women late at night, and I don't think people would disagree with that.'
Security guards and police now patrol the tree-lined street – with officers seen talking to migrants loitering outside the hotel when Daily Mail visited.
There are fears, too, the level of alleged criminality is now out of control – and could spark a riot from locals, who have already staged protests outside the venues.
Last month the Mail on Sunday revealed how 116 charges – mainly of alleged assault – have been brought against 51 migrants living across the town's three seafront hotels.
Some 46 criminal charges have been brought against asylum seekers at the Roundhouse Hotel, 45 at the neighbouring Britannia and 25 at the Chine Hotel in Boscombe Spa Road.
Those troubling statistics lend themselves to the tinderbox feeling which has gripped Britain this summer, with recent protests exploding outside hotels that are housing asylum seekers in places like Epping, Essex, and Canary Wharf in central London.
'I've lived here since 2008 and I can say that Bournemouth has changed,' one man tells the Mail as he points to his flat, yards away from the Britannia Hotel.
Other recent instances, not linked to migrants, have seen youngsters plaguing the picturesque resort with the stench of marijuana and inhaling nitrous oxide 'hippy crack' balloons in front of families, as locals fear the town is slipping into chaos.
Bournemouth local Adam Elcock says his beloved town was on the cusp of descending into complete lawlessness.
'Walking through town, it is a very different place now,' he adds. 'The whole atmosphere, the people wandering around that clearly aren't local, the way that they treat...It is quite literally the Wild West here, and the place is out of control.'
One protester in a hard hat approaches police during a protest outside Bournemouth's migrant hotels
Recent instances of sex attacks on the beach tell their own story of a town slipping into chaos, with youngsters plaguing the picturesque location with the stench of marijuana and inhaling nitrous oxide 'hippy crack' balloons (as seen above)
Women in the town now fear walking alone there, with two telling the Mail they try to avoid the hotels entirely after an incident that left them unnerved.
One woman, who didn't want to be named but works nearby, says: 'We don't feel safe here anymore. It's probably a combination of things but it doesn't help having lots of people scattered across hotels in the area.'
The local, who was speaking while an older woman with her nodded her head, continues: 'We went into a nearby hotel together to try and get into the swimming pool for a quick dip, and we were told to leave the property because they were housing asylum seekers.
'We were shocked, but in hindsight we did think it was a bit strange that it was looking so rundown. There were bags of rubbish hanging out the windows and then people started shouting out the windows at us as we left.
'We didn't hear what they said. I don't think it was English, but we felt a bit intimidated and left. We haven't been back since.'
But the concerns aren't just limited to locals; tourists venturing to the town have also claimed to have fallen victim to males allegedly jeering at them from one of the hotels.
Neil Clegg, 57, from Worcester Park, London, had travelled down to holiday by the seaside for the first time in a decade and said things had soured on his trip to the point that his partner's children were no longer allowed outside alone.
'My partner has two girls and a son, and they were coming back the other day and another girl was being harassed outside the Roundhouse, so we don't let them out now alone in the evenings,' he says.
'We always go out with them. It was so bad that we looked up the Roundhouse and it showed us how many asylum seekers they were holding.
'They mill around. They're all blokes. I don't know where they're from but there hasn't been a direct problem for us. When I've walked past we've all been together and there haven't been any problems. But I believe that there could be.
'I've never felt threatened here before, but I do now. You don't feel quite so safe anymore, and we wouldn't let the kids out now.
'Particularly not an 18-year-old and 15-year-old girl. You can't have them walking alone in the area, which you could've done in the past.'
It comes after a weekend of disruption, which saw riot police being called in to separate two clashing groups of activists staging protests in Meyrick Road.
About 300 people descended upon the street, in tense scenes the mirrored similar rallies nationwide, which exploded into violence.
Roughly 200 of the activists were from an anti-immigration group, who chanted 'stop the boats and send them home' while waving the Union Flag or red and white St George one.
At the same time, 100 pro-migrant protesters chanted 'refugees are welcome here' while holding signs saying 'migrants make our NHS'.
The issue is so contentious that the town's Labour MP, Tom Hayes, last week called for the government to axe at least one of the three migrant hotels.
It comes amid concern over the impact the asylum accommodation is having on the town's vitally important tourism trade.
'Their closure is really important for the recovery of the tourist economy,' Mr Hayes told the Sun over the weekend.
'People haven't been coming to Bournemouth because they've been affected by the cost-of-living crisis, a global pandemic and austerity.
'There's been a real decline in our coastal towns and I want zero asylum hotels in the country. I've already secured a commitment from the Government that there will be no more in Bournemouth.
'I feel sure we'll see their closure starting within this next year.'
Bournemouth has recently hit the headlines following a spate of booze-fuelled antisocial behviour, which has seen violent gangs of men brawling with one another on the beach as families watch on in horror.
Police have attempted to clampdown on the mayhem during the summer, putting dispersal orders in place to try and break up large groups of troublemakers.
But those living in the town aren't convinced officers have a proper grip on the situation - with the migrant hotels only exacerbating the chaos, say locals.
'There was also an incident with a knife in the town centre near the Roundhouse and there were police everywhere. We weren't allowed to leave the building we were in as we were close,' one woman adds.
That street fight occurred between the entrance to Bournemouth and Poole College and the Roundhouse, on January 25 last year.
The mass street brawl saw two Egyptian asylum seekers jailed after they stabbed a pair of Afghan college students with broken glass and a glass bottle.
Armed officers were at the scene of the incident where two Egyptian asylum seekers stabbed a pair of Afghan college students last year
Some locals who say they are frightened at such violence in the area becoming the norm told the Daily Mail how they have even begun labelling Friday night as 'Fight Night'.
Geoff, 79, and Hilary, 78, moved to Bournemouth 14 years ago in search of solace after spending their working lives together under the bright lights of London.
However, Hilary says the town she once thought was 'absolutely wonderful' is now 'ruined.
'There are no shops, you can't go into town anymore, there are loads of druggies and drunks. We call Friday nights 'Fight Night' here,' she adds.
'When we came here from London we thought it was absolutely wonderful, and it was, up until a few years ago. That being said, I do still love it here and think if we moved back to London it'd probably be even worse.'
Geoff adds: 'There are a large number of people now here who are not adding anything to the community. What you see is 20 people lounging around, surrounding one cup of coffee all afternoon at local coffee bars.
'To be honest the influx of immigrants isn't what has worried me. It's when I walk down the streets and there are hordes of people there and I'm thinking 'Why aren't they working?'
Nodding in agreement, Hilary continues: 'They're put in these hotels in this beautiful place. Who wouldn't like that when they're not paying a thing.'
Many of the hotels which are close to the Roundhouse and the Britannia boast both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, built-in gymnasiums and spa facilities.
Luzchelle Villareal, 49, who is originally from the Philippines, but now lives in Oxford after becoming a British citizen, is paying just under £200 per night for her stay by the sea.
Ms Villareal sought to supports migrants after learning her holiday break away would be disrupted by protesters rallying against the asylum hotels.
'I don't understand why people are protesting. I know they are asylum seekers but they're already here. What is the Government supposed to do?' she tells the Mail.
'This has been happening a long time. I've been here for around 20 years and it's been happening ever since. Yes, they get benefits and sometimes I get annoyed because I pay tax and they get things for free - but why don't we embrace them?
'I did everything the hard way, I had to take exams and adapt to everything, but I think we should embrace and help them because I think there will be more problems if we don't.
She adds: 'People from the Philippines, we work hard. We don't rely on the government and we don't mind paying tax, we work crazy hours but what do we get? Nothing.
'But saying that, I think rather than making chaos for these people, we should embrace them. If you put yourself in their situation, I don't think this is where they want to be. They're just looking for a better life. They're the same as me. I'm just fortunate I came here legally.'
Ms Villareal also says she wants to see stricter enforcement on the border by stopping people crossing the Channel illegally, but says she disagrees with protests outside the hotels.
'I don't like them because you might see people hurting each other and it affects the place as well, and all the tourists,' she says.
Foster carers Colin Wright, 59, and Denise Archer, 59, are some of those visitors who are affected by the protests - which saw dozens of people rallying outside the hotels last week,
After making the trip down from Dartford, Kent, to spend their first holiday together in more than a decade, the couple said they were surprised to hear that asylum seekers were being put up in hotels - before asking for alternate directions back to where they are staying to avoid the migrant venues amid protests there.
'The issue is not knowing who they are, and by that I mean their history. So you don't know what characters are here,' Mr Wright says.
'Us spending £200 a night on a hotel feels like a slap in the face. France isn't giving migrants hotels - as far as I'm aware they're all in tents and waiting to come here. And the reason being is that they know it's better than a tent.
'If you look at somewhere like Syria, they've got tented cities for refugees and no one's complaining about that. Try and put someone in a tent in this country or some redundant military base and everyone will go off their heads.
While Ms Archer agrees with her partner's points, she says she sympathised with those in the hotels who may feel 'frightened' with protests raging outside.
'I think people are so riled up because you see people really struggling to make ends meet, and for us to come down to Bournemouth is a real luxury, a real treat. It's been more than a decade since we've had a holiday on our own together,' she says
Colin agreed, adding: 'I don't want to see anyone intimidated or frightened. I do support peaceful protests.
'I just don't know what it's come to, I really don't.'
While Bournemouth's descent is not helped by such protests outside these hotels, many give a consensus the town is facing bigger problems.
When the Daily Mail visited last month to speak with sunseekers and beachgoers, many spoke of an area which is declining far beyond the reason of the accommodation of asylum seekers.
At the beachfront we witnessed a bastion of bin bags and fast food boxes stacked in and around a solitary skip, creating a wall-climbing plant of rubbish, speeding bikes whipping by as they defiantly burn rubber over the promenade's 'No Cycling' signs.
One 35-year-old local who works as a barista confirmed such fears again on our most recent visit, saying: 'Bournemouth has gone downhill. I grew up in Poole and it's changed a lot.
'Our chambers are just down the road and I'd sometimes leave my car there and walk into town, but now I don't. I'd just drive now.
'I probably would avoid walking around certain areas at night too now, which is sad to say. Although I don't think the reason for that is just because of asylum seekers.
'I've never had problems with the hotels themselves, so I'd say maybe Bournemouth just isn't what it was.'
A Government spokesman told the Mail: 'From over 400 asylum hotels open under the previous government in summer 2023, costing almost £9million a day, there are now fewer than 210, and we want them all closed by the end of this Parliament.
'We will continue to work closely with community partners across the country, and discuss any concerns they have, as we look to fix this broken system together.'
A Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council spokesman added: 'The Home Office are responsible for procuring and managing asylum accommodation.
'The council carefully monitors the use of asylum hotels in Bournemouth and the impact of this on our statutory services, community safety and the local economy.'
In the meantime, the people of Bournemouth remain on edge, worried about what the future of such migrant hotels will have on its trade and image – and whether the town will ever be the same again.