New makeshift migrant camp in Kent sees its first arrivals

People were driven into the facility in Folkestone this evening (Picture: PA/Getty)

People have begun arriving at a military barracks in Kent which has been repurposed to house arrivals from across the Channel.

The Napier Barracks facility in Folkestone, will house up to 400 people in a new migrant camp in, with the first group seen arriving on Monday night.

They are believed to be migrants who may have crossed the Channel aboard small boats. Some were seen in a taxi as they arrived at the makeshift accommodation.

Plans to use the site and possibly another in Wales were met with criticism when they emerged last week. Local MP Damian Collins says he ‘cannot support’ the decision and called on the Home Office to find ‘more suitable’ accommodation.

Police officers were shown around the barracks on Monday afternoon.

People were also seen unloading electrical equipment including TV screens and vacuum cleaners at the MoD site earlier.

Napier Barracks, one of several at the Shorncliffe Army Camp, was selected to house migrants while their asylum claims are processed.

A military barracks in Wales is also to be used to house migrants, the Government confirmed to Metro.co.uk tonight.

Taxis carrying asylum seekers arrive at the new facility in Folkestone (Picture: PA)

The military barracks will serve as makeshift accommodation for as many as 400 people from this week (Picture: PA)

The Government said people would be housed in Kent and Pembrokeshire (Picture: PA)

Photographers captured a glimpse of the new arrivals this evening (Picture: Getty Images)

The two sites are part of the MoD training estate, according to the PA news agency.

Any training will be relocated to alternative sites or rescheduled, so there will no military personnel on site if and when they are used by the Home Office.

A Government spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘During these unprecedented times we have worked tirelessly with local authorities and other partners to provide asylum seekers, who would otherwise be destitute, with suitable accommodation – as we are required to do by law.

‘Following detailed discussion with local authorities, some asylum seekers will now be housed in contingency accommodation in Kent and Pembrokeshire provided by the Ministry of Defence.

‘This will ease our reliance on hotels and provide savings for the taxpayer of up to 50 per cent.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

MORE: Desperate faces of migrants making the perilous journey to UK

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8291209 https://ift.tt/3iSOWBU