All residents at The Bell Hotel in Essex, a site that has been used to house asylum seekers and was the location for protests last year, have been removed, Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) has confirmed.
The council stated on Thursday that it was aware the Home Office had vacated all residents, leaving only security staff on site.
EFDC expressed surprise at the sudden move, stating: "Despite ongoing engagement with the Home Office, we did not know in advance that this was going to happen. We are seeking clarification from the Home Office on the details of what has happened and what their next steps will be."
The removal of residents is understood to be a precautionary measure due to concerns over fire safety regulations. The hotel gained notoriety last year after resident Hadush Kebatu sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
Kebatu was convicted of five offences, including sexual assault, and jailed. He was then mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford last October before being re-detained and deported to Ethiopia.
The council had previously fought against the hotel's use for asylum accommodation, losing a Court of Appeal bid in March.
This challenge aimed to overturn a High Court ruling from November last year that dismissed EFDC’s attempt to secure an injunction blocking the hotel owner, Somani Hotels, from housing asylum seekers there.
A Home Office spokesperson commented on the wider strategy: "The Government is removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain. We are closing every asylum hotel and moving asylum seekers into basic accommodation including ex-military sites.
“The population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35% in the last year and by 63% from the peak under the previous government."
