Asylum seekers moved out of ex-RAF site in Essex after safety risks found

Concerns were raised about Wethersfield site relating to radiological contamination and unexploded ordnance

Asylum seekers staying at a former RAF airfield that is used as the Home Office’s largest mass accommodation site were moved out after safety risks were identified including radiological contamination and unexploded ordnance.

Planning permission for the Home Office to use the Wethersfield airfield site in Essex for a three-year period was obtained last month with the granting of a special development order (SDO), circumventing the usual route for obtaining planning permission from a council.