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A pensioner who lives in an Oxfordshire village which could house more than 1,000 asylum seekers has declared a symbolic independence referendum the “Battle of Britain”.
Piddington residents are voting on whether to secede from the UK and become an independent state, after the Government announced plans to house 1,256 male asylum seekers at a nearby former military base.
Residents have been invited to cast their ballot in a small box outside the village hall, the community hub of Piddington, which does not have any pubs, cafes or shops.
A pennant hanging outside the hall reads “Battle for Britain 2026”, and another commemorates the date of the Second World War military campaign the Battle of Britain, on September 15 1940.
A rural Oxfordshire village will hold a symbolic independence “referendum” on Tuesday to protest against controversial Government plans to house more than 1,000 asylum seekers at a nearby former military base.
Herbert Owen, known in the village as Herbie, said the independence referendum “isn’t just about Piddington”.
After casting his vote, Mr Owen told the Press Association: “It means everything our grandparents, our parents fought for – today is the Battle of Britain.
“This isn’t just about Piddington, this is about our whole country. This Government is destabilising our country.
“Wherever they put these people, in camps, in HMOs, or whatever, they’re ruining people’s lives.”
Mr Owen, 76, described Piddington, which has a population of about 350, as a “wonderful little village”, which has not seen much change since he moved there 33 years ago.
Piddington has been flooded with members of the media covering the vote, and dozens of journalists filled the village hall in the otherwise quiet village.
More than 1,000 male asylum seekers could be housed at the former military base (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Wire)
Mr Owen said: “We need the media to support us. We’ve got more publications and more TV than any marches, riots.
“But if the Government doesn’t do something, I’m afraid for the country. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I feel for the country, for the people.”
Mr Owen’s wife, Jennifer, told PA she felt villagers’ concerns have been ignored by the Government, which did not initially put proposals forward for public consultation.
“It’s like we’re nobody. The village is nobody, according to the Government,” she said.
The perimeter of the proposed site backs on to the tree line of a village green in Piddington, which is owned by the parish council and has children’s play equipment and a fitness trail.
Piddington residents cast their votes at the village hall (Ben Whitley/PA) (PA Wire)
Mrs Owen said she felt the site was unsuitable and had concerns about the safety of children and dog walkers who use the area.
She said: “I’m an old-age pensioner, but I fear for the women and the children in the village.
“They won’t be safe to go out in the village, not on their own, they’ll have to have their husbands with them.
“It will wreck children’s lifestyle, their livelihoods.”
Mrs Owen said most people in Piddington know one another and talk when they are out and about, or while they visit the occasional pop-up bar in the village hall.
She said the site would “change our lives forever” if it were to go ahead.
Asked how it felt to cast her ballot in the symbolic vote, Mrs Owen said: “Bit of sense of power.
“We can’t actually leave the United Kingdom, but it just brings things out in the open more for the country as a whole.
“All the parish councils in the country should do the same thing.”
Parish councillor Mike Nixon said the proposed site has no pedestrian access areas and the Government has suggested issuing asylum seekers with high-visibility jackets to keep them safe while walking along a busy road.
He told PA: “The nearest path is about a mile and a quarter away, down a very busy road that’s unlit.
“Their (the Government’s) own document says it’s not recommended that pedestrian access is used, so they’re proposing that residents would use the shuttle bus service from the site.
“And to further discourage them, they’re suggesting that should they walk, they would be issued high-vis jackets, and that’s the only mitigation for the residents’ safety.
“The road itself, the B4011, is a busy road, 50-mile-an-hour speed limit, but vehicles will regularly go in excess of that, so it is likely that there would be significant risk of road traffic collisions, injury, or even death, should the plan go ahead.”
Mr Nixon said the proposed site was prone to surface water flooding, has an inadequate foul water drainage system, and an insufficient power supply.
He added: “The site itself is wholly inadequate in terms of its infrastructure – so insufficient power, not enough water, no sewerage, prone to flooding.
“Apart from that, it sounds pretty good.”
In the travel plan submitted as part of the Government’s proposals, the site is described as having “limited” pedestrian access and travel on foot was “not recommended”.
Cycling and public transport options may be provided, the document added.
A spokesman for the Home Office said: “The Government is closing every asylum hotel, saving taxpayers over £1 billion on asylum support since the election.
“We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, moving asylum seekers into alternative accommodation, including former military sites which are designed to be self-contained to reduce impact on the local community.
“As part of the process, we engage with local authorities and police forces to ensure the safety and security of those in the surrounding area.”