Former security workers describe conditions at asylum base

(MENAFN) Former security staff at the MDP Wethersfield asylum seeker accommodation in Essex have described unsafe conditions, alleging violence and the presence of weapons among some residents, according to reports.

Several security workers said they refused to attend work on Thursday in protest against changes to pay and contracts. Three former staff members told news agency that they were dismissed almost immediately after the walkout. They described situations where residents brought alcohol and weapons onto the site and reported assaults against security personnel.

"When I asked that I wanted to see the contract first, that's it, I was sacked," one former worker said. "There was no protection for security officers… At night they have parties with alcohol and being 20-odd security officers on site versus 1,200 asylum seekers, you can see what we're dealing with. We have no protection whatsoever."

Other former staff raised concerns about a lack of personal protective equipment when handling migrants potentially tested for tuberculosis (TB) and reported colleagues being assaulted while trying to break up disturbances. They emphasized that not all residents behaved violently but said they often felt vulnerable.

The Security Industry Federation (SIF) claimed 22 out of 31 security contractors did not show up for work on Thursday, although the Home Office said fewer than a third were absent.

Clearsprings Ready Homes, the government contractor running Wethersfield under a 10-year Home Office contract, is expected to take over employment of security staff from Saturday, with some workers facing reduced pay and reassignment to cleaning duties. Clearsprings did not respond to requests for comment.

Wethersfield, a former RAF station, has housed single male asylum seekers since July 2023, with capacity set to rise to 1,245. Médecins Sans Frontières has previously criticized the site for inadequate screening of residents, and the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration noted a “feeling of hopelessness caused by boredom” among migrants.

A Home Office spokesperson said the walkout “did not have an impact on day-to-day operations of the site, which continued as normal.”

Staff accounts have not been independently verified, but the reports add to ongoing scrutiny of conditions at Wethersfield, which has faced criticism over living standards, safety, and protests by residents.

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