Emergency appeal goes out for donations of clothing and medical help for 100 plus asylum seekers in Peterborough hotels

An emergency appeal has gone out to Peterborough people for donations of essential clothing and hygiene products for more than 100 asylum seekers who have been given refuge in two city hotels.

The plea comes from representatives of the United Afghan Community Association of Peterborough (UACA) who have seen at first hand the poor condition of many of the refugees and heard their harrowing stories of escape from persecution.

There are estimated to be about 109 asylum seekers, with the majority having fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. They are all male said to be aged between 16-years-old to 35-years-old. Most are in their twenties. However, two are said to be teenagers aged 13 or 14-years-old.

They were brought to the Great Northern Hotel, in Station Approach, and The Verve hotel, in Boongate, on November 11 in coaches by Serco, the organisation appointed by the Home Office to arrange accommodation for asylum seekers.

Members of UACA say they were contacted after some of the asylum seekers at the Great Northern Hotel made contact with taxi drivers parked outside Peterborough Railway Station, which stands opposite the hotel.

Now collection points have been set up at two sites in Peterborough where donations of clothing, including T-shirts, jackets, trousers, hats, gloves etc of all sizes, shoes, sizes seven to 11, hygiene supplies as well as prayer mats and Mushafs can be left.

Salmaan Ahmadi, vice-chairman of UACA, said: “We are concerned about the health and hygiene of these people. Many have skin rashes and irritations.

" Many have been sleeping in the same bedding for weeks. There is a need for nail cutters. They are not in a good state.

"One man has a bullet wound behind an ear that still needs treating. He says he was shot escaping from the Taliban.

“They need medical practitioners to visit to assess and treat them properly.

"They only have the clothes they arrived here in and which they have been wearing for weeks or possibly months. They all seem to wear flipflops, which I think must be issued at the detention centre, but are not suitable for general wear.”

He said: “There are two people to a room and at The Verve it seems the rooms have been split into two rooms. But some of the mattresses are old and just 80 centimetres wide and are difficult to sleep on.”

Mr Ahmadi said it was not clear how the men, about half of whom are from Afghanistan with the others including Somalians, Sudanese, Iranians and Kurds, had arrived in the UK.

He said: "We asked them why they wanted to come come to the UK. It seems those from Afghanistan had been working for or helping the British Army, mostly in Helmand, and are now being sought by the Taliban. They also speak fluent English, are well educated and are just very nice people.

"We listened to their stories, which are very sad, and they say how worried they are about their families.”

Mr Ahmadi said the asylum seekers could be at the hotels for as long as 14 months.

He said: “It seems the hotels have one year contracts, which can be extended.

"Our experience from other cities is that asylum seekers can be in hotels for 13 or 14 months.”

Where can I leave my donations?

All donations for the asylum seekers can be left at:

Madina Madrassa and Spiritual Centre, 116 Midland Rd, Peterborough PE3 6DD Masjid Khadija, 311 Cromwell Rd, Peterborough PE1 2HP

What does the Home Office say?

A Home Office spokesman said that under the contract with the hotels, all asylum seekers are provided with full board accommodation with three meals a day served as well as all other essentials, including cash payments where eligible.

He added: “The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

“The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – there are currently more than 37,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £5.6million a day.

"The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.”

Jenni Halliday, Serco’s Contract Director for Asylum Accommodation Services, said:

“With the significant increases in the number of people arriving in the UK we have been faced with no alternative but to temporarily accommodate some asylum seekers in hotels.

"These hotels are only used as a last resort but as a provider of accommodation services on behalf of the Home Office we have a responsibility to find accommodation for the asylum seekers that are being placed in our care.

"The Serco team is working extremely hard to move people into dispersed social housing as rapidly as possible.”

Why is there a political row over use of the Great Northern Hotel?

Peterborough City Council, supported by Peterborough MP Paul Bristow, is seeking a court injunction to stop the change of use of the 170-year-old Great Northern Hotel as a hostel for asylum seekers.

A council spokesperson said: “Peterborough is a welcoming and tolerant place and is currently offering refuge to over 300 asylum seekers, more than any other city or town in the East of England.

"We hold a very strong record of welcoming people into our city going back many years.

“However, we have taken enforcement action in the usage of the Great Northern Hotel, not just because our own resources to welcome and help genuine asylum seekers are stretched to the absolute limit, but because of the risks to strategic infrastructure of our city and the UK due to the hotel’s location.”