Locals living close to a hotel in rural Derbyshire that is used to house asylum seekers are calling for it to be closed as they’re pushed to breaking point by antisocial behaviour. The Sandpiper Hotel in Chesterfield has accommodated asylum seekers for nearly two years. However, residents have constantly complained over the noise, litter and men “loitering” and asking for money.
The 46-bedroom site was once a three-star Best Western hotel frequently used by visitors heading to the Peak District. It then closed down and reopened under a Home Office contract, despite locals claiming not to have been consulted. Locals have since raised concern over the disruption it’s causing to their lives.
One local, Shannon Freeman, 31, said the asylum seekers have been looking through people’s windows on the street. “We got cameras and that seemed to stop,” she told MailOnline.
“They were fine at first. It is only in the last six months they have started to behave in a bad way.”
Ms Freeman claimed locals were warned on Facebook to avoid the trail behind the hotel because ” men are following women through the park.”
Former owner of the hotel, Gary Cook, claimed the value of houses has since been lowered. “I think there are about 80 blokes in there and it has lowered the value of the houses around here and it is not great for the hotel.
“I think it is totally run down now. So it will be hard to get over the stigma and turn it back into a hotel.”
Another local, Chelsea Lodge, a mother of two, told the newspaper website that she has been approached for money multiple times and followed by “two guys walking behind” them.
