Kids with rape alarms & ‘intimidating’ mobs… Residents left terrified in town next door to migrant ‘holiday camp’

TERRIFIED residents have told of how “intimidating” migrants have taken over their streets – with one even saying they have had to give their granddaughters rape alarms. Braintree locals who spoke with The Sun this week revealed allegations of sexual harassment, cases of intimidation and claims that asylum seekers are turning their high street into a “ghost town”. New ‘security operatives’ speaking to Braintree locals while out on patrol Credit: Louis Wood Grandmother Annette Lucas has armed her grandchildren with rape alarms due to her concerns on the high street Credit: Louis Wood Braintree is one of the towns on the doorstep of Wethersfield Asylum Centre – a former military base which is home to 1,245 migrants. Single male asylum seekers between the ages of 18 to 65 are held at the site while their claims are processed – with the site being recently slammed as a “holiday camp”. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! And groups of them are taken by minibus into Braintree, along with nearby Chelmsford and Colchester. Locals in the town spoke to The Sun and said they no longer feel safe on their own streets, even with the council introducing new security patrols. Valerie Spurgeon claims to have been accosted by three asylum seekers Credit: Louis Wood Two Essex Police officers patrolling Braintree town centre Credit: Louis Wood Essex Police maintains the town is “safe” and says there is less crime in the town now than there was three years ago when Wethersfield Airfield Asylum Accommodation first opened. And while others insisted they have never had any problems with migrants – there is a sense of fear among many in the town, in particularly for women. Grandmother Annette Lucas, 74, told The Sun she feared for her family’s safety and armed her grandchildren, aged 16 and 13, with rape alarms because the town centre has become a “scary” place. She said: “You’re not safe here. I bought them all rape alarms because they’re really loud.” Most read in The Sun “It’s scary because they come in groups and surround them. It’s not fair that they have to stay at home and can’t come down here for fear.” Local anti-migrant protester, Valerie Spurgeon, 80, also claimed three asylum seekers once surrounded her after she withdrew her pension money. She said she “wasn’t very polite” to them and went across the road to a nearby supermarket for safety. Valerie claims that as she walked off the youngest one said to her: “You’re too old to f*** anyway”. Her situation was echoed by another woman, who asked to remain anonymous, who claimed an asylum seeker told her in the middle of the high street he would “like to f*** her”. She said she now felt “much safer” knowing the new private security guards were patrolling the town. Another local, Daniel Davies, 51, said he had heard groups of migrants wolf-whistling at women and claimed the presence of dozens of young men loitering around the bus station was intimidating. He said: “There’s a real fear in this community at the moment. As you can see, the town’s like a ghost town, especially on a Thursday.” Local man Daniel Davies claimed that the asylum seekers loitering outside the bus station are “intimidating” Credit: Louis Wood Davies also claimed the asylum seekers’ “intimidating” presence had turned Braintree into a “ghost town” Credit: Louis Wood “I feel uncomfortable. So how do the women and children feel?” They must be feeling absolutely terrified.” Daniel added: “They congregate and walk around in groups in town and it’s very intimidating.” Local tradesman, John Spinks, 56, went further: “I’ve been walking down a path, and if there’s about six of them walking wall-to-wall towards you, they all try to hog the path and they won’t move out of the way. It’s all very confrontational. I just won’t have it.” Annette Lucas also claimed a blind friend of hers was spat in the face by an asylum seeker as she tried to cross a zebra crossing “because she was a woman” who tried to walk through them. But other locals told The Sun they had never witnessed any trouble involving asylum seekers and warned against the town from being portrayed as unsafe. Leslie Lewis, 72, said she regularly travelled into Braintree on public transport and had never had any trouble at the bus station. She said: “The people from Wethersfield, they wait for their minibus. They stand in a small group. “They’re separate from everyone else. They don’t interfere with anyone.” Pensioner Leslie Lewis, who regularly catches the bus into Braintree, said she had never been made to feel “intimidated” Credit: Louis Wood A St George’s flag flies on a lamppost in Braintree Credit: Louis Wood New private security guards patrol Braintree town centre due to concerns of anti-social behaviour from asylum seekers Credit: Louis Wood Gary Waddington acknowledged he had never seen any problems involving asylum seekers Credit: Louis Wood “I’ve never been intimidated in town and I just feel it’s a shame. I don’t want people to see Braintree as a scary place.” Gary Waddington, 75, similarly said he had never personally seen any problems involving asylum seekers either. A security guard – not connected to the council’s scheme – said that during all his years working in the area, he had not dealt with any issues involving migrants who had been bussed in from Wethersfield. But he also admitted that he would not come into town centre after 7pm. Many residents who spoke to The Sun slammed the new scheme to introduce private security guards to reduce alleged anti-social behaviour from migrants, calling it a “waste of money”. The initiative, titled Operation Vanguard, is funded through a drawdown of up to £150,000 from a community improvement fund, according to the Reform-led Essex County Council. The three-month trial is expected to cost about £118,000 plus VAT, and operates from 10am – 6pm, seven-days a week. But the new ‘security operatives’ have no enforcement powers and will need to refer all criminal matters to Essex Police, leading many Braintree residents to slate the scheme. Grandmother Annette said: “I think they’re rubbish. I can’t see any point in it. What can they do? Nothing.” John Spinks agreed, saying: “Why are they going to take notice of people who have got no powers? Do I feel safer? Not at all!” Gary Waddington added: “What, two blokes walking up and down the town centre? I feel safer with a bunch of mates.” During The Sun’s time in Braintree on Tuesday, we witnessed the security guards on just two occasions. Locals fear Braintree has been turned into a “ghost town” because people are intimidated by the asylum seekers who are bussed in daily Credit: Louis Wood John Spinks, 56, said groups of asylum seekers “hog the path” and won’t move out of the way Credit: Louis Wood An asylum seeker at Braintree bus depot, waiting to be returned back to Wethersfield asylum accommodation Credit: Louis Wood A minibus returns just two asylum seekers back to Wethersfield from Braintree’s bus depot Credit: Louis Wood Meanwhile, Essex Police were visibly seen patrolling the streets throughout our entire time on the high street. The local force insists Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester remain safe and says crime in all three towns is lower than three years ago. The constabulary said there had been 15 reported offences across Essex since June 2023 where a member of the public was a victim and the suspect was identified as being an asylum seeker from Wethersfield. Previously, Essex Police Chief Constable, Rachel Nolan, previously said crime linked to the nearby accommodation centre was “very low”, adding there was “absolutely no reason for anyone to be concerned about criminality associated with migrants from the Wethersfield camp in Essex.” The force added: “Essex Police’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams patrol these areas every day, including at key times, providing reassurance to the public and acting to deter crime and anti-social behaviour.” Earlier this week, Councillor Peter Harris, Leader of Essex County Council, said: “Operation Vanguard is a positive and proportionate response to the concerns residents have been raising for many months now regarding the daily bussing of asylum seekers from Wethersfield to Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford. He later added: “The induction process which migrants undergo at the centre is in my view woefully inadequate, especially on their introduction to British culture and the expectations we have of acceptable behaviour toward[s] women and girls. “But we are not prepared to sit on our hands and wait for the next incident. We are taking action.” Cllr Tom Cunningham, Leader of Braintree District Council, said: “Braintree is a safe place to live, work and visit, and it is important that any action affecting our town centre is based on evidence, properly planned and developed with the partners already working together locally.” A Home Office spokesperson said: “We work closely with local police to ensure the safety and security of communities around the site. “The Government is closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1bn on asylum support since the election. We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites which are designed to be self-contained to reduce impact on the local community.” 1 comment1