A TRAGEDY on the roads involving asylum seekers is inevitable unless action is taken swiftly, a councillor warned this week.
Ian Blake has raised serious concerns about asylum seekers putting their safety at risk while walking along the A710 to get to Dumfries.
Dozens of foreign guests have been living at The Mercure Hotel, just outside Dumfries, since being placed there by the Home Office in the summer of 2023.
However, there have been a number of near misses with motorists, including a frightening incident on January 16 this year where a driver had to take split-second evasive action.
The Mercure’s entrance leads onto an unlit 60 mph road and, with no footpath available, it is feared that it’s only a matter of time before a major accident occurs.
Abbey Councillor Ian Blake said: “If this is going to continue, then I have no doubt there will be serious consequences. It’s an accident waiting to happen.
“I want to get everyone round the table to address this situation. It’s for the safety of the residents in the Mercure Hotel, but also for members of the public who are driving along these roads.
“Drivers could be coming round the corner, be forced to take action to avoid hitting one of these pedestrians, and then swerve right onto an oncoming car.”
At around 5.10 pm on January 16 a near miss occurred when five asylum seekers all wearing dark clothing were almost struck by a car.
This was only avoided due to the quick actions of the driver. He was so upset by the incident that he spoke to security staff at the hotel and later requested the incident be formally recorded with Police Scotland.
The issue will be discussed at today’s full council meeting after Councillor Blake tabled a motion.
He wrote: “This is a significant road safety issue that requires to be addressed before a fatality occurs as in addition to the safety concerns of the residents, this could have a life changing effect on drivers and passengers, should a collision occur.”
January’s incident is one of several that have occurred over the past couple of years, with the councillor saying he’s been contacted at different times by numerous residents.
The Mears Group, which operates housing contracts for asylum seekers on behalf of the UK Government, were notified of the road safety issues.
Councillor Blake explained: “We managed to get the Mears Group to supply a minibus for the hotel residents, but I understand it’s been off the road.
“The council then supplied high viz vests to these young people. These have not been worn as I believe there may be a certain reluctance from these young men to wear them when walking into town.
“But this doesn’t take away from the fact that they have come into a new country for the first time, and they are walking dangerously along streets with no lighting or footpaths.”
Meanwhile, Mark Jardine, Deputy Lord Lieutenant for The Stewartry, is also keen to find a solution to improve road safety.
