Fire at proposed asylum seeker housing treated as arson

4 hours ago

Mousumi Bakshi,in Leveringtonand

Rachael McMenemy

Firefighters were called to Roman Court on Wednesday evening

Mousumi Bakshi/BBC Two one-storey buildings. The building on the left has a fire-damaged roof. — Firefighters were called to Roman Court on Wednesday evening

A fire at an empty building earmarked for use as asylum seeker accommodation is being investigated as arson, police have said.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service was called to Roman Court, a former sheltered housing complex in Leverington, at 19:26 BST on Wednesday.

The fire service said six crews had been "working hard" to tackle the blaze and prevent it from spreading.

An investigation will be carried out to establish the exact cause of the fire once it is fully extinguished, it said.

Crews from Wisbech, March and Dogsthorpe, along with the turntable ladder from Stanground and crews from Outwell and West Walton in Norfolk, attended the incident.

No injuries have been reported, the fire service said.

Emergency services remained at the scene on Thursday morning

Mousumi Bakshi/BBC A police cordon around a building. There is white tape with the words "POLICE DO NOT CROSS" in bold blue lettering. There is a police car parked outside the building and a police officer is walking towards it. — Emergency services remained at the scene on Thursday morning

Paul Missin, who lives next door to Roman Court, said some of his windows were open when the fire broke out and that the smoke filled parts of his home.

He described the fire being treated as arson as "unsurprising", adding: "It was probably going to happen, wasn't it, let's be honest."

Earlier this month there were peaceful protests against the announcement that Fenland District Council had been told by the Home Office that a site in Leverington could "provide 26 bed spaces for mothers and babies".

Cambridgeshire Constabulary said: "Firefighters brought the blaze under control, but the building has been severely damaged.

"The fire is being treated as arson and is being investigated by the fire service and police."

The force asked anyone with information to come forward.

The site was listed for sale in an auction in October 2025. The property details said it featured 21 self-contained flats, including 16 studios, four one-bedroom and one three-bedroom units.

There is also planning permission to build single-storey extensions to four of the flats.

Fenland District Council called for "objections to be made peacefully and within the law"

JamieNiblock/BBC Police tape in front of a brick building. There is a police car parked in front of a wooden fence. — Fenland District Council called for "objections to be made peacefully and within the law"

Fenland District Council said earlier this month that it had submitted a full objection to the Home Office over plans to house asylum seekers in the area.

A spokesperson for the Conservative-run council said: "Fenland District Council raised serious concerns to the Home Office that this is not an appropriate site for its plans and warned the plans were causing tension in the community.

"We are appalled to see there has now been a fire that police have indicated they are currently investigating as an arson.

"We urge anyone with information about this incident to provide it to the police, and we robustly add our voice to calls for all objections to be made peacefully and within the law."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Any form of criminal damage is completely unacceptable.

"The safety of local communities will always be our highest priority, and the police have our full support in their investigation."

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