Local residents say they were left frightened and exhausted after a night of chaos outside the Highfield House asylum hotel, with shouting, fighting, and smashed windows disturbing the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Residents living adjacent to the hotel described being abruptly awoken by the sound of raised voices and breaking glass at around 2am. “It was aggressive shouting, fighting, and then the unmistakable noise of glass smashing,” one resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It left me feeling scared, intimidated and angry. This isn’t the first time I’ve been woken up at 1am by aggressive noises and actions. It’s affecting my sleep and my peace of mind.” One local resident tired of being ignored had the presence of mind to record a video which he hopes the local council and police will finally take notice of.
Social media videos posted appear to show people—identified by posters as residents of the asylum hotel—shouting, launching flying kicks, throwing rocks at windows, and attempting to climb walls to get at other hotel residents. The footage, circulated widely among local community groups, has intensified concerns about safety and the impact of ongoing disturbances on families living nearby in the community.
The anonymous resident said a hotel security guard had confided that ongoing tensions between Kurdish and Iranian men inside the hotel could be behind the unrest. “We just want to feel safe in our own homes. The authorities need to do more to prevent this from happening again, is it safe to have people who behave like this in the heart of a community” the resident added. “We didn’t have to phone the police on this occasion as they turned up because the hotel called them. Every other time we’ve called them we’ve just been given a crime number and no action has been taken.”
Highfield House has been used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers for several years. Neighbours say the latest incident is part of a pattern, with several previous nights of unrest reported to the police and the local council. The residents note the behaviour and disturbances have got notably worse in recent years since 2022.
Watch the Videos recorded by local residents below:
