Gosport Borough Council has demanded answers from the Government over the potential use of Gosport locations for migrant arrivals and urged proper engagement with local authorities.

Leader Cllr Zoe Huggins has again written to the Home Secretary following events on 22 September, when significant local resources were deployed in anticipation of an arrival operation in Gosport, before a boat was eventually escorted to Dover.

Cllr Huggins said: “We are demanding to know why this decision was taken and why the concerns we raised beforehand were ignored. The events on Tuesday showed that Gosport is simply not the right destination, even without a boat arriving here.

“We do not have the facilities that are well established elsewhere. Our position as a peninsula with limited access in and out and the way information is spread on social media makes protests and blockades almost inevitable.

“We need answers from the Government and an assurance that Gosport is not going to be considered as an option for future migrant landings.”