ANOTHER 13 hotels housing asylum-seekers have closed as Andy Burnham’s government continues moving people into alternative accommodation.

Ministers are increasing use of more “basic” sites including former military barracks, having pledged to stop using asylum hotels completely by the next election.

The 13 closures are expected to save £51 million and bring the total number below 160, according to the Home Office — having peaked at around 400 under the Conservatives.

Immigration minister Anna Turley said: “For too long, communities have watched hotels at the centre of their towns and cities become symbols of a broken asylum system.”

Labour has already closed several prominent sites, including the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which became a focal point for far-right protesters after a resident allegedly sexually assaulted a teenage girl.

Plans could include housing asylum-seekers at former military bases at Barnham, Bicester and Linton-on-Ouse, which has been condemned by campaigners as dangerous and inhumane. 

The government is also looking to expand existing sites despite local opposition.