The male was pictured puffing away dressed in a South Sudan basketball t-shirt outside the Learmouth Hotel.
The man was pictured smoking and wearing a South Sudan basketball top (Image: SWNS)
A man stood outside a migrant hotel on a posh street in Edinburgh was filmed smoking an ‘oversized roll-up’.
The male was pictured puffing away dressed in a South Sudan basketball t-shirt outside the Learmouth Hotel in the Scottish capital on Tuesday. The hotel has become shrouded in controversy with residents and councillors voicing fears about the ‘unsuitable’ temporary accommodation.
Other images show groups of young men sat and stood outside on the pavement loitering as tourists and locals pass by. The smoker declined to comment yesterday before returning back inside the hotel, and his background is unknown.
But locals said the scene at the hotel, on a posh Edinburgh street lined with Georgian houses, could be intimidating.
One witness said: “There is often a large group of six or seven lads sat outside smoking, chatting, looking at phones. Taxis turn up dropping people off and there is always security on the main door.
Locals say the hotel ‘sticks out like a sore thumb’ (Image: SWNS)
“It is quite a posh part of Edinburgh. There are big Georgian houses and it’s an expensive street. Then there are a group of people sat around with no shoes on. It stands out like a sore thumb in that area.
“There are a shed load of bikes chained to the railings and people constantly coming and going. There is never a sign of anyone working. When guys are stood outside I do feel uncomfortable. It can be intimidating as they stare at you walking past. The way they are blowing smoke it is quite clear what they are doing.
“The hotel is being used to house adults as part of a controversial UK Government policy which has been forced through despite objections from Edinburgh council.
Housing provider Mears Group, which has been contracted to house 125 asylum seekers at the two-star Learmonth hotel, formerly a Travelodge, previously said it assesses hotels to make sure they are of an ‘appropriate’ standard.
But it’s claimed the 62-bedroom hotel, which only has private bathrooms in some rooms, has ‘little to no amenity’. Locals had initially supported Afghan families previously hosted at the hotel by donating cooking equipment and other resources.
Locals say groups of men loiter outside (Image: SWNS)
One local woman, who lives near the Learmonth hotel, said previously: “For a while there were families with kids going to local schools staying in the hotel and they were a part of the community.
“But now you see lots of single men hanging about outside. It seems like there is nothing for them to do. I feel sorry for them. They are not even allowed to work while they are here. It’s not a way for people to live.
“We need to treat people who have been through so much already with more compassion. They deserve to feel safe, not stuck in a make-do hotel for who knows how long. There’s such a shortage of homes in the city. It does put pressure on local services too and people need to know that’s being addressed but it seems like that part hasn’t been thought through either.”
