The 133 female residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, have written an open letter to female MPs warning they will be 'complicit' if they stay silent over Home Office plans to convert a former Ministry of Defence (MoD) site into accommodation for male asylum seekers. The camp would house 1,256 men, outnumbering the village's female residents by nearly 10 to one.
Women's Plea to Westminster
In the letter, accompanied by a video, the Women of Piddington write: 'Our safety, our security and our freedoms will be under threat. Life as we know it will be destroyed. We will not feel safe walking our streets. We are already living in fear.'
'As the women of Westminster, you have both the power and the responsibility to speak out and protect us from this plan. It is your duty to act. By continuing to stay silent you are choosing to put us at risk. There are no safeguards in place. You will be complicit. You will be to blame.'
Village Reactions
As reported by the Daily Express, women in the village have begun seeking self-defence classes, boosting home security, and considering guard dogs in preparation for the potential arrival of male migrants. The village is home to just 350 men, women, and children overall. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will 'look at' the concerns.
Former sales executive Melise Witkin, 59, who lives in Piddington with her daughter Aimee McManus, told the Daily Express: 'It's been terrifying… we've heard nothing back from any of the women in Parliament so far, which I think is really sad.'
She added: 'With 1,250 men, of course you are going to get lovely ones, but you are going to get the 'wrong-uns' as well, that's with all groups no matter what race or where they come from. The Government know themselves that there is something wrong otherwise they wouldn't have to produce a leaflet telling them not to rape women and children.'
Residents' Fears
Alice West, who lives in the village with her husband Ed and their three daughters aged seven, nine, and 11, said she would not let her children go to the playing field if the camp goes ahead. She said: 'If this goes ahead and there are 1,256 men camped on the other side of our playing field, then it's a hard no to my children, they are not going to that field.'
Aimee McManus, 29, a fitness coach, said she has nightmares at the thought of her mother being alone and scared. She said: 'We've got three dogs, but they are absolute softies. We have talked about getting a guard dog, but then how has it come to the point that in the UK that we are having to think about getting a guard dog and security to feel safe in our own homes. It's insane.'
The 46 children in Piddington have yet to receive a response to letters they wrote to Downing Street last month highlighting their fears for their future.
Conservative MP for Beaconsfield and Shadow Cabinet Minister for Women & Equalities, Joy Morrissey, posted on X: 'This is exactly why I raised the issue of the direct threat of illegal migrant men to British women and girls in Parliament yesterday (Wednesday). This is a powerful call for support from local women genuinely afraid of what is coming to their community - and we must step up. Saying we want to protect women and girls needs action, not virtue signalling words.'
The Daily Express has contacted the Home Office for comment.
