A Droitwich hotel has denied rumours it is being used to house asylum seekers.

Bosses at St Andrews Town Hotel, in St Andrew's Drive, said the rumours are false and the hotel is open as usual in the run-up to Christmas.

The hotel’s events co-ordinator Jack Briscoe said: “We’ve never had any migrants staying at the hotel and we don’t know where these rumours started.

“They just seemed to happen overnight - but they’re just rumours.”

The Home Office announced in October that 50 hotels across the UK, including the Mecure Bewdley, The Heath Hotel in Worcestershire.

In a post on the popular Facebook group Spotted Droitwich, hotel bosses said: “There have been many false rumours spread recently regarding immigrants taking over the hotel.

“We can assure you that this is definitely not happening and the hotel will remain open to the public during this festive season.

“It is a shame that people feel the need to engage in this defamatory behaviour before knowing all the facts, or without realising the effect this could have on the business.

“As a small community, we should be supporting each other to make Droitwich Spa a prosperous town.”

It said that by the end of February 2024, the hotel would no longer be used to accommodate asylum seekers.

The Gainsborough House Hotel in Kidderminster will also no longer house asylum seekers next year.

The Fownes Hotel in Worcester has also been contracted by the Home Office in recent years.

Earlier this year, voluntary organisations across the county called on councils to speak out against “dangerous and inflammatory” language used against asylum seekers.

The groups, which included Worcester City Welcomes Refugees, said the current immigration debate, which they claim is dominated by “deeply concerning” rhetoric, should be countered with “balanced and factual” arguments.

An open letter to all Worcestershire councils highlighted in particular the “widespread and inaccurate use of the phrase ‘illegal asylum seeker’ by some politicians and national newspapers”.