Asylum seekers can stay at Epping Hotel, rules High Court judge in major blow to local campaigners

At a glance

• The Bell hotel in Epping can continue to house asylum seekers, a High Court judge has ruled

• The Home Office successfully argued that it needs hotels to deliver its statutory duties

• The council in Epping failed in its bid for a permanent injunction

A council has failed in a bid for a High Court injunction blocking asylum seekers from being housed in an Essex hotel.