Fed-up locals say their pretty village has turned into a ‘no-go zone’. (Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)
Fed-up locals say their pretty village has turned into a “no-go zone” after a migrant hotel opened up nearby. The Ibis hotel in the leafy Northamptonshire village of Crick has been operating as a make-shift asylum centre since last November. The idyllic village, which has a population of less than 2,000 people, features thatched houses, a marina and its own cricket club.
But residents claim the area has gone downhill with late-night football matches and packs of men roaming the streets. Some locals are too scared to let their children out after dark after a woman was attacked in nearby Rugby, 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.
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A migrant hotel has opened near the village of Crick in Northamptonshire. (Image: Getty)
News of the alleged assault has shocked local residents and led to an angry crowd of hundreds protesting outside the 111-room hotel on Friday evening.
Community leaders are now demanding that Serco, which is responsible for housing asylum seekers, 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.”
Crick is a mile from where migrants are being housed in an Ibis hotel. (Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)
The council also urged residents to contact the police if they witness any criminal activity. Residents living in the village, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book, say the area “feels overrun” by migrants.
One village resident, 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. They get on the bus and don’t bother paying the fare, which causes all sorts of problems.
“I know if people who have had problems, but they need somewhere to go. Just not here. The government has a lot to answer for – it’s turning our village into a hellhole.”
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 local MP said residents’ safety is the ‘highest priority’. (Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)
“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.”
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.”
