ITV’s undercover documentary alleges that welfare checks at the Crowborough asylum camp in East Sussex were not always completed as required, while some torture survivors may have been placed in its dormitory accommodation.
The Guardian reports that an ITV journalist worked undercover as a welfare officer at the former military training camp for Inside The Asylum Camp. According to the report, Clearsprings Ready Homes welfare officers are supposed to carry out two comprehensive checks each month. Footage shown by ITV appears to show staff saying that required questions were sometimes not asked.
The undercover reporter said he identified four or five torture survivors who should not have been sent to the camp. The Guardian also reports that the High Court ruled in May that a Home Office policy requiring torture survivors to share rooms was unlawful; the supplied reporting does not set out the full scope of that ruling.
ITV’s footage also reportedly captures staff describing a backlog of welfare checks and saying that warning flags on residents’ files were not subsequently reviewed. Those are allegations from the documentary, not findings of a court or regulator. The Guardian said the Home Office and Clearsprings had been approached, but included no response from either.
The report puts a practical question to the government’s use of large accommodation sites in place of hotels. Two scheduled checks a month offer little protection if staff cannot complete the questions, review recorded concerns and act on them. In WUA’s view, the Home Office and Clearsprings should publish how completion is audited, how file warnings are escalated and what protection is offered when dormitory accommodation may be unsuitable. Without transparent safeguards, a policy intended to replace hotel accommodation could leave vulnerable residents without the support the checks are meant to provide.
Source: The Guardian, reporting on ITV’s Inside The Asylum Camp: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/nov/14/asylum-seekers-crowborough-torture-survivors-military-camp
Sources
- The Guardian · UK · Source date: 2026-11-14
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-14