UK high street near migrant centre ‘turned into ghost town’ – locals too scared to go out

A high street near a huge migrant centre has allegedly been turned into a “ghost town”, with locals claiming they are too frightened to go out. Residents in Braintree, Essex, have spoken of alleged intimidation and sexual harassment involving asylum seekers who are regularly brought into the town from the nearby Wethersfield accommodation centre.

Some women have claimed they have been approached or surrounded by groups of migrants, while one grandmother said she had given her teenage grandchildren rape alarms because she feared for their safety. Braintree is close to the former military base at Wethersfield, which is currently home to 1,245 migrants. The site houses single male asylum seekers aged between 18 and 65 while their claims are processed, with groups transported by minibus into Braintree, as well as Chelmsford and Colchester.

Annette Lucas, 74, said she had bought rape alarms for her grandchildren, aged 16 and 13, because she considered the town centre a “scary” place.

She told The Sun: “You’re not safe here. I bought them all rape alarms because they’re really loud.”

Mrs Lucas also claimed groups of migrants had surrounded her grandchildren and said they were afraid to come into the town.

Valerie Spurgeon, 80, claimed she was once surrounded by three asylum seekers after withdrawing her pension money.

She said she crossed the road to a supermarket for safety after telling them she “wasn’t very polite”.

Ms Spurgeon claimed the youngest man then made a sexually abusive remark towards her.

Another woman, who asked not to be named, alleged an asylum seeker had told her on the high street that he would “like to f*** her”.

Local man Daniel Davies, 51, said he had heard reports of women being wolf-whistled at and described groups of young men around the bus station as intimidating.

He said: “There’s a real fear in this community at the moment. As you can see, the town’s like a ghost town, especially on a Thursday.”

But not everyone in Braintree shared those concerns.

Leslie Lewis, 72, said she regularly travelled into the town by public transport and had never experienced trouble involving asylum seekers.

She said those waiting for their minibuses were kept apart from other people and “don’t interfere with anyone”.

Gary Waddington, 75, also said he had never personally witnessed problems involving asylum seekers and said he did not want Braintree portrayed as a frightening place.

Essex Police maintains Braintree is safe and says crime in the town is lower than it was three years ago, when the Wethersfield accommodation centre opened.

The force said 15 offences had been reported across Essex since June 2023, in which a member of the public was the victim and the suspect was identified as an asylum seeker from Wethersfield.

Police said neighbourhood teams patrol Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester every day, including at key times, to provide reassurance and deter crime and anti-social behaviour.

The concerns have nevertheless prompted a new security operation in Braintree town centre.

Operation Vanguard, introduced by the Reform-led Essex County Council, is a three-month trial funded through up to £150,000 from a community improvement fund. It is expected to cost around £118,000 plus VAT.

The private security operatives patrol between 10am and 6pm, seven days a week, but have no enforcement powers and must refer criminal matters to police.

Essex County Council leader Peter Harris said residents had been raising concerns for months over the daily bussing of asylum seekers into local towns.

Braintree District Council leader Tom Cunningham stressed that Braintree remained “a safe place to live, work and visit” and said action affecting the town centre should be based on evidence.

The Home Office said it works closely with police to ensure the safety of communities around Wethersfield.