Locals living near what has been described as the UK’s ‘poshest’ migrant hotel have spoken out after an expose revealed four-star luxury for asylum seekers.
Jaw-dropping footage posted online showed the inside of the hotel with four poster beds, a lavish buffet style canteen and rooms containing PlayStations and computers.
There also appeared to be evidence of drug taking, and beer cans also littered several rooms of the four-star Copthorne Hotel near Gatwick, West Sussex.
The clip filmed by a contractor called Aston Knight, who worked there between October and December 2024, has been widely shared among nearby residents who have been left livid.
Richard and Tina Shapland, who live over the road from the village green in the quintessential English village – which also has a pub, post office and golf club, expressed their outrage to the Daily Mail.
Mr Shapland, 74, said: ’It’s so intimidating for us, and it’s frightening. I open my door and there are groups just standing on the green looking very suspicious.
‘What also really annoys me is they just urinate wherever they are standing, right on the green and there are children playing there.
‘It’s just not on and we have complained but no one has done anything about it – our feelings are just being rode over roughshod.’
Janine Eagle-Stone is a local resident who feels unsafe to keep her windows open or walk alone after dark
Locals living near what has been described as the UK’s ‘poshest’ migrant hotel have spoken out after an expose revealed four-star luxury for asylum seekers
Pictured: The four-star Copthorne Hotel near Gatwick, West Sussex
Mrs Shapland, 68, said: ’We’ve heard all sorts of stories about them shoplifting, stealing apples from trees and vegetables from the allotment and people aren’t happy.
‘I opened my curtains once and I saw a group just standing there on the green urinating, and that’s not what I want to see when I look on the green.
‘No one seems to listen to us, and the feelings of local people aren’t being taken into consideration at all, there is a lot of anger building up.
‘I’m not saying they are all bad, but it comes to a point where people just urinate on the green or in the stream at the bottom and no one does anything about it.’
On the local village Facebook page one resident posted about the footage: ’A very good video. Shows exactly what it is like in there and how they get treated.
‘They get given everything and even have the audacity to complain!! Why wouldn’t they come here? But it’s nearly all single males. Very worrying.
One local named Nick Kent, added: ’I think it wouldn’t hurt if we were to hold a protest as I’m sure many of you agree I don’t feel it’s safe for the children any more.’
His fears were echoed by Janine Eaglestone, 55, who lives nearby and who now locks her doors and windows at night after spotting groups of migrants peering over her wall.
Lily Gomez-Drader, 72, who was having her hair cut in the village salon, said: ‘The mood of locals is one of growing anger, people have just had enough
Jaw-dropping footage posted online showed the inside of the hotel with four poster beds, a lavish buffet style canteen and rooms containing PlayStations and computers
There also appeared to be evidence of drug taking, and beer cans also littered several rooms of the hotel in Copthorne Village, Surrey
Pictured: A gold watch and jewelry in one of the rooms
The clip filmed by a contractor called Aston Knight, who worked there between October and December 2024, has been widely shared among nearby residents who have been left livid
She said: ’I’m sure the majority are very nice but there are some that just make me feel very intimidated but not just me, also other women and especially the young girls.
‘It’s the summer and the younger ones are walking around in their short skirts and tops and you see groups of men just staring at them, and these are young girls, it’s not right.
‘We are thinking about holding a protest because it’s just got too much, it’s unnerving and especially for someone like me who lives on their own.
‘I now lock my gate at night, and I never used and the windows as well and the time of year you want the windows open, but I won’t because I just don’t feel safe.
‘Quite a few of the young girls, 12–13-year-olds have had issues, especially with groups that gather on the green and you can just see them staring and it’s always at the women and girls.’
Mrs Eaglestone added: ’The video that went round showing how they are living has really riled a lot of people – especially as when you think some in the village are on the breadline and relying on foodbanks.’
Groups of the asylum seekers have been known to gather on the green drinking and smoking drugs until the early hours of the morning leaving mountains of litter when they go, according to locals whose houses look onto the area.
One local the Daily Mail met walking his dog on the green and who refused to be named, said: ’It’s such a shame what’s happened to the (Copthorne) hotel, I’ve lived here for years, and it really used to be the place to go.
The four-star Copthorne hotel – which is a 16th century farmhouse – is part of the Millenium hotel and has been housing asylum seekers for more than four years and a message on its website says it is ‘not accepting reservation requests’. Above, migrants leaving the hotel
Groups of the asylum seekers have been known to gather on the green drinking and smoking drugs until the early hours of the morning leaving mountains of litter when they go, according to locals whose houses look onto the area
Local businesses have reported an increase in shoplifting with both Morrisons and the Premier store being targeted
‘Because of its location near the airport cabin crew would use it and then people playing at the golf club would also stay there, people with money to spend and it used to have a really good reputation.
‘But now we can’t get anywhere near it, there is security and fencing and it’s also quite intimidating for people who are on the green walking their dogs.
‘In the summer we used to get loads of kids here playing but now it’s not as many and it’s because parents are worried about who is on the green.
‘I’m not racist and I have no problem with people genuinely trying to escape war or famine, but the problem is we just don’t know who all these young men are.’
Local businesses have also reported an increase in shoplifting with both Morrisons and the Premier store being targeted.
A few weeks ago, more than £800 worth of chocolate was taken from Morrisons after one asylum seeker distracted an employee and another helped himself to several boxes.
A source there said: ’It’s crazy, they are fed and watered and then they come here and help themselves to boxes of chocolate and other bits and pieces, I can only think they sell it on somewhere.
‘Some of them have also been pulling the old short change scam, where they pocket the fiver and claim they haven’t been given the right change, and the shop has lost hundreds of pounds.
A source there said: ’It’s crazy, they are fed and watered and then they come here and help themselves to boxes of chocolate and other bits and pieces, I can only think they sell it on somewhere’
House prices have also reportedly taken a hit in the area with Rightmove showing a nine per cent drop in the last year despite figures from the Office for National Statistics for the south east showing a rise of 4.6 per cent
‘But the staff are young and mainly girls and they just don’t want to argue with a couple of blokes who are much bigger than them saying they have made a mistake because they feel threatened.’
Lily Gomez-Drader, 72, who was having her hair cut in the village salon, said: ‘The mood of locals is one of growing anger, people have just had enough.
‘We’ve lived here for years and used to go to the Copthorne to play squash and then have breakfast in the restaurant because it was really good but that’s stopped now.
‘If you speak to some of the residents who have lived here a while they will tell you what a lovely pace the hotel was for locals but it’s out of bounds now.’
House prices have also reportedly taken a hit in the area with Rightmove showing a nine per cent drop in the last year despite figures from the Office for National Statistics for the south east showing a rise of 4.6 per cent.
The four-star Copthorne hotel – which is a 16th century farmhouse – is part of the Millenium hotel and has been housing asylum seekers for more than four years and a message on its website says it is ‘not accepting reservation requests’.
A review describes it being just five minutes from Gatwick Airport although it ‘feels a world away’ with more than 100 acres of nearby woodland and 227 rooms and it was also used as a quarantine hotel during Covid.
One of the last reviews six years ago from when the site was used as a hotel was from an airline employee who said: ‘We had a relaxing 24 hour stay here.
‘Despite the large number of rooms, the place was pervaded with a sense of tranquillity. The staff were helpful and kind. Very nice indeed.’
While another said: ’ We had a Christmas do there. I have to say it was amazing, the food was really nice, and the service couldn’t have been better.’
Migrants who left the hotel – including a large family – refused to talk to the Daily Mail as they left the hotel while no one from Millenium was immediately available for comment.
