Residents have launched a petition in a bid to overturn the government's decision to house asylum seekers at a Peterborough hotel. 

The government informed Peterbrough City Council of the decision to house 146 asylum seekers at the Dragonfly Hotel in Thorpe Meadows, on Thursday, November 14, with the first group moving in shortly after. 

Two Members of Parliament described the move as 'wholly inappropriate' and pledged to keep "fighting" for clear answers from the Home Office. 

The 70-bedroom hotel is located next to the International Rowing Lakes and borders Nene Park. 

Launched by Andrew Mac, the petition objected to the use of the hotel because of the "negative impact this will have on our town centre economy."

The petition, which now has more than 1,000 signatures said: "We all want to help those in need, but other sites should be used that don’t impact our town centre economy. 

"Peterborough is to host numerous outdoor events over the year, including dragon boat race, family sports events, This is on top of being home to many tourist attractions.

"It is essential that now, and going forward, Peterborough has sufficient hotel space for visitors and families coming to our wonderful town."

In a joint letter to Dame Angela Eagle, the minister for border security and asylum, Mr Pakes and Mr Carling expressed "serious concerns" about the "appropriateness" of the location. 

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The MPs added: "The Dragonfly Hotel is wholly unsuitable for this purpose, both for the city’s residents and for the migrants involved.

"The surrounding area lacks the infrastructure to provide the necessary support, and the hotel’s use for this purpose could significantly impact local services.

"We understand that the root of this issue lies in the enormous backlog of asylum cases caused by years of mismanagement under the previous Conservative government, leaving the current government to grapple with a system under immense strain.

Mr Pakes and Mr Carling called for "detailed" updates on the government's progress in clearing the backlog of asylum cases. 

They also urged the government to offer reassurance to both reisdents of Peterborough and the asylum seekers being housed at the Dragonfly Hotel. 

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