Watton youtubers face police review
Norfolk Police are reviewing a video in which two men posed as government contractors to gain entry to a property housing asylum seekers in Watton
Norfolk Police are reviewing a video in which two men posed as government contractors to gain entry to a property housing asylum seekers in Watton.
The video, uploaded in the midst of the row over asylum seekers being placed in the town, has racked up thousands of views and prompted a response from business tycoon Elon Musk.
Both Serco – the government contractor the men misrepresented – and police have confirmed the incident is being reviewed.
The footage was posted online last week and features two men who regularly post similar content from asylum seeker properties around the country, where they have previously clashed with police and security staff.
In the video, the pair approach one of two residential properties used to house asylum seekers transferred from the Brook Hotel in Norwich to Watton on May 13.
After trying the garden door, ringing the bell and knocking, the men open the unlocked front entrance and walk in, where they are met by one of the residents inside.
One of the men – wearing a Restore Britain hat and t-shirt – tells the resident he is from “a local gardening company” and claims Serco sent them to inspect the garden.
The resident, who speaks limited English, appears to believe they are genuine contractors throughout. It is not clear whether he was aware they were filming the interaction.
During the five minutes they spend inside, the resident confirms four men are living there, all transferred from the Brook Hotel.
Serco, which manages government asylum accommodation, reacted strongly to the misrepresentation.
A spokeswoman said: “Any reports of people impersonating Serco staff to gain unlawful access into a property are taken extremely seriously and this is now a police matter.”
Norfolk Police said: “We are aware of the incident and are reviewing the circumstances.”
Since the incident, all eight men housed across the two Watton properties were removed from the town entirely.
The footage had spread rapidly across social media, catching the eye of Elon Musk – owner of X, Tesla and SpaceX – who replied with a single word: “Hmm.”
Mr Musk has previously been vocal on asylum seeker accommodation and is a known supporter of Rupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain.
The incident is the latest chapter in a turbulent few weeks for Watton, which found itself at the centre of a heated row after the men were moved into the town without warning.
Locals have held protests and councillors have chided the Home Office for giving no warning of the placements.
It is not yet known what will happen to the properties, which Serco are understood to have spent months renovating, now the eight men have left Watton.