The Home Office has informed Braintree DC that it plans to temporarily increase the number of asylum seekers at the Wethersfield military base beyond its bed limit.
The operational capacity of Wethersfield asylum centre will increase from 800 – its standard capacity – to 1,245 for a limited period, the district council has been told.
Cllr Graham Butland, leader of Braintree District Council, said the decision was taken due to ‘record small boat arrivals.’
The news comes as an MP warns protests at an Essex hotel housing asylum seekers is a ‘crisis that risks boiling over'.
