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'We are not prepared to sit on our hands and wait for the next incident,' Essex County Council leader Peter Harris warned

A Reform-run council is deploying private security guards across three town centres amid concerns over women's safety linked to the expansion of a nearby asylum seeker facility.

Essex County Council will station guards in Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford as the Home Office prepares to increase capacity at the former RAF Wethersfield base by around 50 per cent.

The site currently houses around 800 male asylum seekers but is set to accommodate up to 1,245.

The move forms part of Operation Vanguard, which will see two security guards deployed in each of the three locations closest to Wethersfield.

Council leader Peter Harris said concerns had been raised about the impact of the expanding facility on surrounding communities.

He said: "Concerns for community safety are clearly there, particularly among women and girls, because of the daily gatherings of asylum seekers which will increase in number and size as the facility expands."

Mr Harris also criticised the induction programme provided to migrants arriving at Wethersfield.

He said: "The induction process which migrants undergo at the centre is, in my view, woefully inadequate, especially on their introduction to British culture and the expectations we have of acceptable behaviour toward women and girls.

"But we are not prepared to sit on our hands and wait for the next incident. We are taking action."

The private security patrols will be funded by Essex council taxpayers, although the total cost of the scheme has not been disclosed.

The guards are intended to provide a visible presence to reassure residents and discourage antisocial behaviour.

Essex County Council is currently appointing a private security firm to carry out the patrols.

The authority said it would consult Essex Police, Braintree District Council, Colchester City Council and Chelmsford City Council over the operation.

The contract will initially run for three months while the council seeks additional support from central government.

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During that period, the authority plans to hold urgent talks with the Home Office and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood over funding for public services in communities affected by asylum accommodation sites.

Mr Harris has also taken aim at the Home Office over what he described as "a fleet of 17 minibuses" transporting asylum seekers from Wethersfield into nearby towns and cities each day.

After visiting the former RAF base, the council leader branded the facility a "holiday camp".

He said residents had access to a fully equipped gymnasium, a dedicated fitness room, a full-sized football pitch and a large indoor sports hall offering five-a-side football, basketball and cricket.

Residents are also provided with three meals a day across two dining halls, including vegetarian options and receive mobile phones with call allowances.

The council's decision is thought to be an unprecedented move by a local authority in response to an asylum accommodation site.

Wethersfield is one of two asylum centres operated by Home Office contractors on former military land, alongside RAF Crowborough in East Sussex.

The Government is also proposing facilities at Linton-on-Ouse in Yorkshire, RAF Barnham in Suffolk and MoD Bicester, with the plans facing opposition from local communities.

Piddington, near Bicester, has scheduled a referendum for September 15 to symbolically leave the UK in protest against the plans.