First asylum seekers expected to arrive at former RAF Scampton site in August

The first group of asylum seekers being moved into a former RAF base in Lincolnshire are expected to arrive in August.

The controversial Home Office plans will see the site in Scampton be converted into a migrant camp for around 2,000 male asylum seekers.

It is believed that the parish council has now been told that the first group of around 200 men will arrive in mid-August.

News that the site could be used to house migrants first came out in March and has since been met with fierce opposition from local residents and West Lindsey District Council, who had already announced a £300m regeneration project at the site which could now be affected.

Local council leaders have applied for a judicial review into the move after losing a bid for an injunction against work to prepare the site, which was home to the famous Dambusters squadron in World War Two.

The former base was also home to the world famous Red Arrows aerobatic display team between 2000 and 2022.

The Home Office has not confirmed or denied the latest reports, but said it will be filling the accommodation in phases. Site investigators have also been seen at the former airbase in recent weeks.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Delivering accommodation on surplus military sites will provide cheaper and more suitable accommodation for those arriving in small boats, while helping reduce the use of costly hotels."

They added that these sites are "more affordable for taxpayers" and "more manageable for communities".

In a statement, Scampton Parish Council said that it remained "totally opposed" to the proposals and did not believe Scampton "in any way represented a suitable or viable site for the temporary housing of asylum seekers".

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