A seaside town which already has three asylum seeker hotels is bracing itself for more migrants after two tourist hotels applied to be converted into bedsit-style accommodation to house them.
The Daily Mail told this week how many locals in Bournemouth, Dorset, feel the character of the resort has been ruined by an influx of migrants as well as teenage gangs and drug addicts.
Now plans have been submitted to turn two existing hotels that once accommodated holidaymakers in the coastal town into so-called houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) for asylum seekers.
One has retrospectively applied to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to operate as a 22-person HMO while the other would temporarily house 38 people.
Residents are bitterly opposed to the application over fears it will increase crime and anti-social behaviour, and hit property prices.
In fact, existing frustration over the state of the town has already even led to a so-called ‘vigilante’ group setting up to patrol the streets at night.
Safeguard Force, who launched in August, say they were forced to take action due to the spate of crime and lack of policing.
Phillip Ray, 72, who bought his nearby flat eight years ago, said of one of the hotels set for transformation: ‘It’s probably not a viable hotel as it’s been left to run down to an awful state.
Locals in Bournemouth, Dorset, feel the character of the resort has been ruined by an influx of migrants as well as teenage gangs and drug addicts. Pictured: Anti-migrant protesters at a protest outside a hotel in Bournemouth used to house migrants on August 9, 2025
Now plans have been submitted to turn two existing hotels that once accommodated holidaymakers in the coastal town into so-called houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) for asylum seekers. Pictured: Anti-migrant protesters in Bournemouth on August 9, 2025
Residents are bitterly opposed to the application over fears it will increase crime and anti-social behaviour, and hit property prices. Pictured: Police officers talking to a resident of a migrant hotel in Bournemouth
‘I thought this was supposed to be a Conservation Area? Do we really need 22 individuals (let me guess, single migrants?) living in a shared dining room and kitchen loitering around the area?
‘What economic benefit would this bring to our community? I would much prefer an apartment block for 40-50 permanent residents than an HMO.
‘We have purchased these (our) apartments as an investment for our future, the last thing we want is for the value to drop. Would you buy something a few doors down from an HMO?
‘When they develop they have got brand new buildings and that improves the area, we have got some pretty awful run down hotels.’
The Government has pledged to stop using hotels for asylum seekers by 2029, but needs to find alternative accommodation for the 32,000 people currently living in them.
But people we spoke to in Bournemouth believe the eventual closure of the town’s three asylum seeker hotels will simply lead to an increase in the number being dispersed into HMOs across the community.
Bill Irving, 62, said: ‘My main concern is the fact there’s a lot of young males of fighting age that are coming into the country unvetted. I understand some of them are coming from a war-torn area and they need to be housed somewhere.
‘I don’t like the idea of them being in HMOs, I think it’s better when they are all in hotels and confined to one place, until something more permanent is found. With HMOs you don’t know who you have got living next to you.
The Government has pledged to stop using hotels for asylum seekers by 2029. But people we spoke to in Bournemouth (pictured, file photo) believe the eventual closure of the town’s three asylum seeker hotels will simply lead to an increase in the number being dispersed into HMOs
Bill Irving (pictured), 62, said: ‘My main concern is the fact there’s a lot of young males of fighting age that are coming into the country unvetted’
‘I have been here for about ten years and I have noticed the decline in Bournemouth, but I don’t know whether that’s down to immigrants. There’s a lot of drug dependency too, when you mix the two I think it could cause a lot of grief.’
A woman, who didn’t want to be named, added: ‘This was always a very well to do area, but it has gone downhill.
‘People staying in the hotel opposite where I live said they weren’t going to come again because of all the noise and disturbance. One of the hotels had to sell up because it caused a drop in business.
‘I would definitely be concerned if they turned another hotel into HMOs, I think it would push the other hotels out of business. And I have got granddaughters and I want them to feel safe and okay to go out and enjoy the area.
‘A lot of them (asylum seekers) have cultures very different from ours, they don’t have the same attitudes towards women. It’s difficult because they have to go somewhere and I feel sorry for people so desperate they have to come over on the boats.’
Craig Chifamba, 40, said: ‘This area used to be really nice and quiet, but the public toilets were closed off by police and there was a stabbing recently – things that are just not normal here.
‘I think we’ve had an influx of people who don’t know how to integrate. The rise in living costs are not helping. When you mix all those variables together it’s a recipe for disaster.
‘It was a touristy area and the people that come as tourists are quite respectful. But random people that don’t have jobs or anything to do they don’t really appreciate anything because they are just given everything.
Another resident Emma O’Hara claimed there were already too many HMOs in the area, causing a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour. Pictured: Asylum seekers from Eritrea drinking cans of Stella Artois while overlooking the sea view in Bournemouth
Official figures reveal that the BCP council area had 642 asylum seekers at the end of June this year. Pictured: Anti-migrant protest outside a hotel in Bournemouth on August 9, 2025
‘My wife used to like taking walks at night, now we have to think twice. Something that never used to bother us now causes significant worry with locals.’
Another resident Emma O’Hara claimed there were already too many HMOs in the area, causing a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour.
She said: ‘It’s not appropriate to put more HMOs in this area when there are already so many and they cause trouble for permanent residents – knife attacks, break ins, vandalism and multiple bike thefts.’
One of the most shocking crimes that rocked Bournemouth was last May when two innocent women, Amie Grey and Leanne Miles, were attacked on the beach by criminology student Nasen Saadi. He was sentenced to 39 years in jail after murdering Ms Grey and leaving Ms Miles in a critical condition.
Chaos continued this summer, with a mass brawl breaking out in front of horrified locals and holidaymakers. The fight, on June 30, resulted in a teenage girl being rushed to hospital, while some of the youths hurled missiles at the police.
A week later, a 20-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a Syrian asylum seeker in a public toilet on the beach. Mohammed Abdullah, who lives in west London, denies rape and sexual assault.
When the Daily Mail joined vigilante group Safeguard Force for a patrol, founder Gary Bartlett, 60, said: ‘I grew up in Bournemouth, I spent my whole youth here. It’s changed massively.
‘We used to come into town and you’d have a tear-up but you’d walk home safe, no problems whatsoever. I’ve got two daughters, 33 and 32, and they won’t come into town.
In fact, existing frustration over the state of the town has already even led to a so-called ‘vigilante’ group called the Safeguard Force (pictured) setting up to patrol the streets at night. They are led by Gary Bartlett (left)
‘I knew I had to do something, I didn’t actually give it enough credit for how bad it actually was until I came out and it was shocking.’
Business owners laid bare just how bad it has become after a spate of incidents across the summer.
Takeaway worker Sandip Dhungana, 21, said: ‘I see so much crime here. I see fighting and drug dealers every day. It is disturbing. The people are crazy sometimes.’
Nikesh, a 32-year-old shopworker, said: ‘There’s a drastic change to when I first got here six years ago.
‘The girls can’t go to the parties at night. It isn’t locals – these are the asylum seekers staying at the hotels. They stop the women, they tease, they shout.
‘We have a lot of shoplifting. Two days ago, I caught someone stealing. He was a refugee again. We can’t do anything, police say they can’t do anything.’
The Daily Mail was also shown CCTV of a feral teenage gang brazenly stealing boxes of nicotine pouches from one shop in broad daylight.
Dr Diana Majeed added in an objection to the HMO planning application: ‘This is a residential area. To change use of the premises from a hotel to a 22 person HMO would significantly alter the character of the area and risks causing noise disturbance late at night to the detriment of families living in this area.’
One of the most shocking crimes that rocked Bournemouth was last May when two innocent women, Amie Grey and Leanne Miles, were attacked on the beach by criminology student Nasen Saadi (pictured)
He was sentenced to 39 years in jail after murdering Ms Grey (left, with her wife Sian Grey) and leaving Ms Miles in a critical condition
Nicholas Oldrieve said: ‘Another HMO is not needed in this residential and tourist area.
‘Bournemouth is in need of rejuvenation and relies on tourism for its economic needs. Changing a hotel to an HMO does not help achieve this.’
Karen Davies added: ‘The area seems to be declining in a way that makes residents feel more unsafe and has caused increasing crime, disturbances and noise lately.’
Another resident Paul Hearne stated in his letter of objection to the council: ‘This area doesn’t need any more of these types of accommodation.
‘This area requires more holiday accommodation to boost the area not HMO housing and who will they be filled by? I have been informed by a credible source that asylum seekers/illegals will be moved from various hotels and others to these HMOs.
‘People in Bournemouth are fed up with all this and how this once mighty town has been affected by this.
‘Giving more housing to benefit these rather than encouraging holidaymakers is a terrible idea and businesses here must be terrified of hotels closing and more and more rooms for people waiting for a decision on their future in this country.’
The previous owners of one of the hotels set to become a HMO were given consent by the local council in 2023 to demolish the building and replace it with a five storey block of 28 flats, made up of 23 residential units and five holiday lets.
But the new owners have now applied for a partly retrospective temporary change of use to convert it into a 38-room HMO for up to three years before eventually proceeding with the plan to build the new flats.
A design and access statement accompanying the application does not specifically state the former hotel will be used by asylum seekers, but adds the HMO is needed to meet ‘an operational shift that has occurred to meet evolving local housing needs’.
Agents for the two hotels set for turning into HMOs did not respond to a request for comment.
Official figures reveal the BCP council area had 642 asylum seekers at the end of June this year – the equivalent of 16 for every 10,000 residents – with 96 per cent of them accommodated in local hotels.
The council’s list of current HMOs reveal two large hotels in the town have already been licensed as HMOs – one licensed to accommodate 30 people in 30 rooms, and another which can house up to 75 people in 40 rooms.
Asylum seekers are currently staying at three other hotels in the city.
Asylum seekers are currently staying at two other hotels in the city (pictured, anti-migrant protesters on a march to one of the hotels on September 20, 2025)
Anti-migrant protester at a demonstration on August 9, 2025, outside one of the hotels in Bournemouth being used to house asylum seekers
Pro-migrant activists face off against anti-immigration protesters during a tense rally in Bournemouth on August 9, 2925
A protest against asylum seekers and counter-protest in Bournemouth in July this year
Another hotel has also been turned over to asylum seekers, being fed and accommodated by the Home Office, courtesy of the UK taxpayer while their applications to stay in the UK are considered.
Three migrants from hotels in Bournemouth have been hauled to court for separate crimes in recent days.
Turkish asylum seeker Halil Dal, 30 was spared jail after drunkenly stabbing a man with a broken bottle in a Bournemouth nightclub.
He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, and was given a 24-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months and a 24-week tagged curfew between 7pm and 7am by magistrates in nearby Poole.
Shkar Jamal, 24, missed his sentencing for threatening a man with a snooker cue at Poole magistrates court at the end of last month.
He was later spotted eating fish and chips nearby when he should have been in court, and his sentencing ended up being adjourned for a later date.
Kurdish migrant Hana Hassan, 22, was jailed for seven years at Winchester Crown Court for being part of a 12-strong mob which attacked a shopkeeper with machetes following a nightclub dispute.
Millie Earl, the leader of BCP Council, issued a fierce defence of Bournemouth, saying: ‘It is wrong to present a general perception of Bournemouth based on the behaviour of an extreme minority of people.
‘When you step back from the headlines the reality is that businesses and visitors have confidence in our town centre: we know this because businesses are investing in Bournemouth, and more and more people are returning on a regular basis.
‘Let’s be clear about the facts: crime is down, anti-social behaviour is down, rough sleeping is down, businesses are backing Bournemouth with increased investment, and visitors keep coming back to experience the best of what we have to offer.’
Ms Earl pointed to a range of statistics painting Bournemouth in a positive light, including a recent statement by American bank giant JP Morgan Chase promising to investing £350million in the town where it employs 5,300 people.
She also claimed more than 10.2million trips were made into Bournemouth town centre in June, July and August this year, with more than a third of visitors returning at least once a month
Ms Earl said Office for National Statistics data had also listed Dorset as being among the ten safest counties in the UK, with a year on year decrease in overall crime, including violence against the person, robbery, and stalking and harassment.
She also revealed that anti-social behaviour was down six per cent in the town centre and 18 per cent across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, according to Dorset Police figures.
Homelessness and rough sleeping is also down across the council’s area; with the number of families housed in B&Bs fallen from 140 to a functional zero.
Bournemouth which has a beach rated as the 12th best in the world, according to TripAdvisor, is also benefiting from an upgraded council CCTV system, said Ms Earl.
Turkish asylum seeker Halil Dal, 30 was spared jail after drunkenly stabbing a man with a broken bottle in a Bournemouth nightclub (pictured, the incident)
He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, and was given a 24-week prison sentence, suspended for 18 months and a 24-week tagged curfew. Pictured: Dal outside court
Shkar Jamal, 24, missed his sentencing for threatening a man with a snooker cue at Poole magistrates court at the end of last month. He was later spotted eating fish and chips nearby (pictured) when he should have been in court
Kurdish migrant Hana Hassan (pictured), 22, was jailed for seven years at Winchester Crown Court for being part of a 12-strong mob which attacked a shopkeeper with machetes following a nightclub dispute
John Beesley (left), the Tory group leader on coalition-run BCP council who represents the Westbourne and West Cliff area, said he did not support the two current applications for hotels to be converted into HMOs – but fellow Tory councillor David d’Orton-Gibson (right) disagreed
Last week Jordanian asylum seeker Ahmad Hani (pictured), 25, who arrived in Britain nearly two years ago told the Daily Mail that he wanted to return home as he felt so unsafe in the hotel
John Beesley, the Tory group leader on coalition-run BCP council who also represents the Westbourne and West Cliff area, said he did not support the two current applications for hotels to be converted into HMOs.
He said: ‘Unfortunately, if you have a property that’s relatively rundown, you can make more money out of it as an HMO than any other source.
‘Each application will be taken on its own merit but we have a number of HMOs of varying sizes. I would be strongly opposed to this on various grounds, mainly as it affects nearby residential amenity.
‘I’m not aware of any Home Office properties on the West Cliff, but regardless it (the HMO) wouldn’t do the core tourism offer any benefit. I don’t welcome such planning applications, I think they are detrimental.’
But fellow Tory councillor David d’Orton-Gibson said: ‘HMOs are a popular route. We have planning conditions that hotels have to show they are not viable.
‘Society is changing, there are more single person households, we need more accommodation and HMOs do offer the most affordable form. With HMOs, it’s not about good or bad, it’s about the quality of the property and the way it’s managed.
‘People don’t want to stay in 1960s hotels with shared bathrooms. Airbnb has become popular, as a town we need to catch up.
‘It’s important for the council to step in. We meet every month to discuss all the applications and any anti-social issues. It matters to people.’
Last week Jordanian asylum seeker Ahmad Hani, 25, who arrived in Britain nearly two years ago told the Daily Mail that he wanted to return home as he felt so unsafe in the hotel he is staying in.
He said: ‘I don’t feel safe here. I am an asylum seeker here and the hotel is not safe for me.
‘I have spoken to the Home Office to go back to my country. Here, too many people don’t have [good] minds and do everything for enemies. There is too much crime. Police don’t help any people here in Bournemouth.’
Speaking about his hotel accommodation, he added: ‘My room is next to the bathroom. I don’t want to live in that room, these hotels are not for people to live. It is old and it is not clean.
‘Some people living in the hotel don’t have any feelings for animals, people or children. Some are dangerous in the hotel, they are seriously bad people.’
Mr Hani said he had ‘problems’ in his country and ‘needed a relaxed life’ but he added: ‘There’s too much danger here… the police don’t do serious work.’
He claimed that his passport had been taken by the Home Office, and he had asked for it back ‘seven or eight months ago’ so he could make his way back to Jordan.