Peterborough City Council has taken action against plans to house asylum seekers in a local hotel. 

The Home Office, responsible for immigration, informed Peterborough City Council’s chief executive Matt Gladstone that the Great Northern Hotel is likely to be used to house asylum seekers. 

Those seeking asylum could be housed at the hotel in the coming days, however, the council has taken “enforcement action” against this. 

The council has said this is because their resources for asylum seekers are “stretched to the absolute limit”. 

Peterborough is currently offering refuge to more than 300 asylum seekers, more than any other city or town in the east of England. 

The council is saying that another reason for this action is “risks to strategic infrastructure”. 

The Great Northern Hotel is a railway hotel and a such is situated at one of the country’s major rail interchanges. 

The council said: “Any issues of heightened tension or threats in the area could disrupt a major communication route for both people and freight.”