RESIDENTS say they are selling up and leaving their once-beautiful village after claiming migrants living in a hotel have turned it into a “hellhole”.
The Manor Hotel in the Berkshire village of Datchet has been turned into a holding centre for asylum seekers.
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One hostile homeowner claims to have put his property on the market.
He told the Mail: “I put my house on the market, I’ve had enough. This has been such a nice village.
“It was safe and it’s been left to go to rack and ruin. It’s just becoming a hell-hole.”
Staff at local pub The Stag claim they have suffered a loss of custom following the hotel’s conversion into an asylum hostel.
One worker said: “When it was a proper hotel, it was used for weddings and parties so we used to get loads of guests coming over.”
Datchet is a stone’s throw away from Windsor Castle, and King Charles is reportedly driven through the village most days.
Some villagers said they fear house prices will plummet as Datchet loses its charm.
But local businessman Mo Tariq defended the asylum hostel and its residents.
He said the men are “polite” and law-abiding people who have come from difficult situations around the world.
The asylum seekers are banned from working under UK law – so have little else to fill their time save milling around on the village green.
This has reportedly sparked complaints from some villagers who find it an “eyesore”.
Mo said the hotel was not fully occupied when it reverted back to normal business for a time last year.
He said it made sense for the struggling hotel’s owner to take a government contract to house asylum seekers.
BOAT NAB Sir Keir Starmer hails arrest of suspected people-smuggling kingpin as he declares ‘there’s more to come’
PM Sir Keir Starmer has praised the arrest of a suspected people-smuggling kingpin.
The Turkish national, 44, was held in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
Sir Keir said his arrest was a “significant piece of the jigsaw”.
He added: “I’m not pretending it’s the silver bullet. Other steps are going to be necessary, but this is a very important step.”
The suspect is accused of storing dinghies in Germany to be moved to France. He faces extradition to Belgium for trial.
