Protesters challenge camp plan

HUNDREDS of people protested yesterday against plans to house asylum seekers at an East Sussex army training camp, as speakers encouraged protesters to “form patrols” and stop paying council tax.

- IZZIE ADDISON Press Association

Protesters in the centre of Crowborough, East Sussex, yesterday

(James Manning/Press Association)

Campaigners marched through the streets of Crowborough, carrying signs and flags, many wearing plain white T-shirts and chanting: “Send them home.”

Crowborough Training Camp is one of two barracks set to temporarily house asylum seekers, along with Cameron Barracks in Inverness, as part of the Government's bid to close asylum hotels.

The site in East Sussex, which has the capacity to house 540 men, has been offered to the Home Office for a period of 12 months by the Ministry of Defence. Yesterday's event was the second of three protests organised by Crowborough residents and supported by campaign group Crowborough Shield.