Council orders Welsh luxury hotel which sacked staff to house migrants to STOP conversion works - as video shows moment protesters camping outside cheer when security leave premises
Protesters are claiming victory after a siege ended at a top hotel due to take in more than 200 asylum seekers.
The four-star Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli, South Wales, which allegedly sacked its staff after gaining the Home Office contract, has been surrounded by demonstrators who blocked off the two main entrances, trapping six security workers inside.
Police met with the protesters to ask them to give the guards - all ex-military - safe passage away from the hotel. They agreed and the security workers left peacefully as the mob chanted 'Cheerio, cheerio cheerio.'
Protest spokesman Stan Robinson told Mail Online: 'It's 1-0 to us - we won the battle but the war goes on. The protest will continue until this stupid idea is halted, although it may be scaled down now there is no one left inside the hotel.'
Meanwhile, demonstrators have won a second victory after the local council ordered builders to halt the construction of a new entrance to the hotel as it investigates a potential breach of planning rules.
Protesters cheering as security leave the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli, South Wales, following a stand-off
The site has been surrounded by demonstrators who blocked off the two main entrances, trapping six security workers inside
Local landowners withdrew a previous access agreement to the front of the hotel and left large boulders and metal railings blocking its two main entrances.
Labourers began constructing a makeshift route through a hedge, but Carmarthenshire Council yesterday issued a temporary stop notice for this work.
It will last for 28 days as officials investigate an alleged breach of planning rules.
Cllr. Ann Davies, Cabinet Member for Planning Policy and Rural Affairs for Carmarthenshire County Council said: 'Carmarthenshire County Council has issued a temporary stop notice to the owners of the Stradey Park Hotel under section 171E of the Town and Country Planning Act 1980.
'The notice relates to the removal of part of a hedge bank bounding the Stradey Park Hotel, along its boundary with Pentre-poeth Road, Furnace. The gap created is being used as an access point and leads directly onto the carriageway of a classified road at a point where there are no pedestrian facilities.
'The access is therefore considered to be a detrimental to pedestrian and highway safety. The notice takes effect immediately and requires the cessation of access by pedestrians.'
The protesters have vowed to continue the demonstration for as long as it takes
Police met with the protesters (seen earlier this week) to ask them to give the men - all ex-military - safe passage away from the hotel
Four lorry loads of Home Office-approved beds are waiting to be delivered to the landmark hotel which was due to start receiving 241 asylum seekers on July 3. But protesters are refusing to allow them through the barricades.
The security workers guarding the site were from a London-based firm called Lead Element, whose staff are all former soldiers and some are ex-special services.
Police were called to keep watch on an uneasy stand-off between protesters and the security workers brought in by Clearsprings Ready Homes Ltd, one of Britain's largest providers of housing to the Home Office.
Over the weekend there were clashes between police and protesters and some angry demonstrators smeared security vans with animal excrement.
Four people from Llanelli have been charged following the disturbances.
Since then, more protesters have arrived, marquees have gone up at the hotel's main entrance and organisers said they were 'in for the long haul.'
Protesters have started blockading the Stradey park Hotel in Llanelli after it fired 95 staff in plans to house up to 241 asylum seekers
Meanwhile a counter demonstration by pro-refugee activists was seen close by on Monday as the tense situation shows no signs of resolving.
But at 6pm on Wednesday, Dyfed-Powys Police entered talks with protest leaders and asked if the security workers could leave peacefully.
Mr Robinson said: 'We agreed and we waved them off and chanted Cheerio as they went.'
The Home Office plans to convert the hotel into a housing facility for asylum seekers have seen the hotel fire 50 full time staff and another 45 part-time workers.
The plans are set to see the hotel house up to 241 asylum seekers as they wait for their claims to be processed.
However, the Home Office's decisions garnered major opposition from local campaigners who are calling for asylum seekers to be more evenly distributed throughout the area.
Protesters sit and stand outside the Stradey Park Hotel on Monday
A police officer speaks to demonstrators outside the hotel on Monday
Carmarthenshire County Council on Friday lost its High Court bid to block the plans after claiming the conversion would 'cause harm' to Llannelli's economy.
All events, including weddings, at the venue have been cancelled, in line with the aim to convert the spa hotel into a housing facility.
The Stradey Park Hotel and Spa, which sits inside a converted Edwardian mansion, is currently the largest hotel in Llanelli.
In an online petition, campaign group Furnace Action Committee noted that they 'wish to see' the hotel continue to 'play its vital role in Carmarthenshire's tourism policy'.
One protester said: 'The hotel is part of the history and fabric of the town - people are angry that this has been foisted upon us.
'I'm not a racist, I feel some sympathy with asylum seekers but the best hotel for miles around is not the place for them.'
Supporters of the protesters hand out food and drinks to keep them going on Monday night
Labour MP Dame Nia Griffith called for 'calm' as she said those with 'genuine concerns' about the Home Office plans should come to local representatives.
The MP for Llanelli asked local people to ignore 'unpleasant stuff' posted on social media following concerns about the involvement of far-Right elements.
'What is important now is to differentiate between where a resident has a genuine concern about something, and some of the horrible stuff that we have seen on social media,' the Labour MP told BBC One Wales.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are aware of demonstrations in Llanelli and are working closely with local police forces to stay updated.
'The Home Office has been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable and we are committed to reducing hotel use to limit the burden on the taxpayer.
'We engage with local authorities and stakeholders as early as possible whenever sites are used and work to ensure arrangements are safe for hotel residents and local people.
'We are aware of demonstrations in Llanelli and are working closely with the local police force to stay updated.'
