Residents have said they do not feel safe and are starting to avoid the city centre due to the rise in visits from asylum seekers.
Mini-buses with asylum seekers are being dropped off in Colchester (Image: Getty)
Locals of the UK’s oldest town say they feel unsafe in their homes due to the dozens of asylum seekers who come to the town daily. Colchester, which appears in written history around AD 77, is renowned for its cultural and historical significance, particularly as the first Roman capital of Roman Britain and for its oyster and wool history.
The Essex town is home to around 200,222 residents, though lately some have been left uneasy, according to an investigation, which found minibuses boarded with asylum seekers as part of excursions from a migrant camp.
The Sun on Sunday witnesses three minibuses dropping young men in the city centre at 11am on Wednesday. The two shortly followed behind, with drop-offs continuing throughout the day.
According to the report, the men were given hours to browse around shops and visit local charities for support before being picked up around 7pm.
Jordyn Dellamura, 30, said she “don’t feel safe coming into town now”. The mum-of-two added that the young men “hanging around with nothing to do,” “talking in their own language”, and staring is “intimidating”.
She also claimed that a man tried to take her nephew off the bus.
Capacity at MDP Wethersfield is expected to increase over the next year (Image: Getty)
According to Ms Dellamura, residents are now avoiding visiting the city centre because of the drop-offs, and concerns are rising as the situation could worsen when capacity at MDP Wethersfield increases by 50% over the next year.
According to Essex County Council leader Peter Harris, crime has increased, and women feel intimidated in the city centre. Mr Harris’ research suggested that up to 17 minibuses leave Wethersfield daily, making trips to Colchester, Braintree and Chelmsford.
He said: “Why do they feel the need to bus hundreds of young men into our towns on a daily basis? They are putting the rights of men that have broken into the country illegally ahead of the safety of our women and children.”
Not everyone in town has the same views, a shop worker who spoke off the record said local homeless drug addicts who are responsible for antisocial behaviour are a greater issue.
While Helene Gibbons, 57, said she’s “never had any problems with asylum seekers”.
She added: “We live in a predominantly white village where there are hardly any ethnic minorities. Walking around Colchester, I expect to see a more diverse range of people and I wouldn’t hold the fact they’re not English against them. I take people as I find them.”