Fury in UK town to host 600 asylum seekers as council splashes £450k ‘on Winnie the Pooh'

Residents have said the money would be better spent on ensuring their safety (Image: Getty)

Residents of an East Sussex town have been left furious after their council revealed it would be spending nearly half a million pounds on Winnie-the-Pooh's centenary. The council's money would be better spent on restoring the town centre's CCTV cameras, which were switched off last year, locals claim, especially as the town is set to host around 600 single adult male asylum seekers as part of Home Office plans.

The unwelcome news comes just days after 4,000 residents of Crowborough in East Sussex, including families with children, marched through the town's streets while waving banners on Sunday, November 30 to oppose the Home Office's plans to house asylum seekers in a nearby Army base, Crowborough Training Camp.

"How safe is Crowborough when there are no CCTV cameras and we're expecting 600 men with nothing to do all day and little money?" one furious protester asked.

"With what's gone on in other towns that have migrant hotels we have seen the problems that arise.

4,000 residents marched through the streets of Crowborough to protest against asylum seekers being brought into their community (Image: PA)

"The council says it can't do anything to stop the Home Office housing the asylum seekers but they can at least put in cameras to keep us safe," she added, according to the Daily Mail. "Instead, they're giving half a million to Winnie-the-Pooh."

According to the mother of three, Crowborough currently lacks both a police station and security cameras.

Wealden District Council has stated that it wants to fund Winnie-the-Pooh events to promote tourism and protect the woodland.

"This investment will help deliver a wide-reaching educational and cultural programme, designed to celebrate the centenary of Winnie-the-Pooh in 2026, while safeguarding the landscape that inspired the story," it said.

The East Sussex town is surrounded by Ashdown Forest, the inspiration behind A.A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories, including Pooh Sticks Bridge and Galleon's Lap.

The town is set to host nearly 600 single adult male asylum seekers at the nearby Crowborough Training Camp (Image: Getty)

Sunday's candelight procession was the latest in a string of protests organised in Crowborough in recent weeks, though this was the largest turnout to date, according to its organisers. They said Crowborough - home to about 20,000 people - was too small to house hundreds of asylum seekers in the community.

Following the demonstration, the Home Office stated that it was postponing the arrival of the asylum seekers but would continue to "accelerate plans" to move people to the site once it was fully operational and safe.

In a statement, the Home Office said it did not want to replicate the mistakes of the past, "where rushed plans have led to unsafe and chaotic situations that impacts the local community".

A spokesperson added: "We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels. Moving to large military sites is an important part of our reforms to tackle illegal migration and the pull factors that make the UK an attractive destination."

Ashdown Forest is the inspiration behind Winnie the Pooh (Image: Getty)