Residents of Piddington, a small Oxfordshire village of around 350 people, fear a proposed asylum seeker camp at a nearby military barracks could house far more people than officially stated. Newly uncovered documents suggest the site could accommodate 3,510 asylum seekers, nearly three times the 1,256 figure given in the official planning application, fuelling anger and distrust among locals already opposed to the scheme. The Home Office says the higher figure came from an early draft risk assessment, though the document remains published online unamended, dated March this year.

The risk assessment refers to asylum seekers as "service users" and gives the higher capacity figure, prompting parish council chair Tim McNally to accuse officials of either "deception" or "incompetence." Villagers, including Melise Witkin and Karen and Derek Joy, say the village lacks basic amenities such as a pub or shop and worry about safety given the disparity between the population and the potential number of arrivals. The row comes as Piddington prepares to hold a symbolic referendum on 15 September on leaving the UK in protest at the plans.