Dragonfly pub warning to 'abusive' callers confusing Peterborough hostelry with hotel of the same name
Pub is nearly three miles away from hotel
The owners of The Dragonfly pub in Peterborough have warned of police action after a spate of ‘abusive’ comments from callers confusing the hostelry with the Dragonfly Hotel which is being used as a refuge for asylum seekers.
It is understood the pub in Herlington, Orton Malborne, has received a number of abusive messages since it was revealed a week ago that up to 146 asylum seekers were to be moved into the Dragonfly Hotel, in Thorpe Meadows.
Yet the two businesses are independent of each other and are nearly three miles apart.
Over the last week, the pub has received seven abusive calls with comments ranging from ‘scumbags’ to ‘you should be ashamed’.
In a post on the pub’s Facebook site, the owners point out that the pub and the hotel are not linked and are in fact in different parts of Peterborough.
It states: “The Dragonfly pub is not connected to the hotel in any way so please bear this in mind when you are ringing us.
It adds: “We are receiving abusive phone calls with regards to this hotel and quite frankly they are threatening and very upsetting and if they continue we will have no other option than to get the police involved.
“If you have written or plan on writing a review, again be aware we have no connection with the hotel and are located in a different area of Peterborough.
“As ever we are open and welcome the good folk of this fantastic city to join us for a drink.”
The decision by the Home Office to move up to 146 asylum seekers to the Dragonfly Hotel was revealed on November 14,
Peterborough councillors were informed by email from the council’s service director for housing and communities.
It stated that the local authority had only been informed on November 14 that the Government had taken the decision to accommodate a number of asylum seekers at The Dragonfly Hotel in Thorpe Meadows, Peterborough.
It added: “We want to make sure the impact on services and community tensions are kept to a minimum and ensure the immediate safeguarding needs of the arrivals are met.”