A hotel is to be used to house around 70 asylum seekers despite opposition from a council.

Gravesham Borough Council has confirmed the Home Office is looking to use The Granby Hotel, in Northfleet, but says the decision puts the local authority in an "unwelcome position".

Leader of the council, Cllr John Burden, said: "We are totally opposed to the use of the Granby Hotel for the housing of asylum seekers.

"We have made our views clear to the Home Office. This is the wrong use, in the wrong place.

"As a council and a community, Gravesham has welcomed Ukrainians, Afghans and Syrians fleeing conflict zones. We have done so willingly and enthusiastically and in a spirit of co-operation with national authorities.

"However, to have a hotel in the heart of one of our communities commandeered to accommodate some 70 asylum seekers against our wishes is a step too far.

"Like every district and borough in Kent, the pressure on our services is intense.

"We have worked with colleagues from Kent County Council, the NHS and the education authorities in our response to the Home Office to make them aware of just how much extra strain this move will add, but to no avail.

"We continue to make the strongest possible representations to the Home Office, and regret they appear unwilling to listen to reason.

"We have historically high numbers of families in temporary accommodation and almost 1,000 households on our housing register who have an identified need for homes.

"Council officers who work with those families to try and find them the homes they so desperately need will now have to be diverted to ensure the new arrivals at the Granby are supported.

"We find ourselves in an unnecessary and unwelcome position."

It is understood by KentOnline that long-term residents at the hotel in The Hill were told on Saturday, January 28, they would need to find new accommodation by Wednesday, February 1.

"The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – there are currently more than 45,500 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £5.6 million a day..."

The Home Office would not confirm its intentions for the use of The Granby.

Instead, a spokesman said the policy of using hotels for asylum seekers was "unacceptable".

"The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain," said the spokesman.

"The use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable – there are currently more than 45,500 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer £5.6 million a day.

"We engage with local authorities as early as possible whenever sites are used for asylum accommodation and work to ensure arrangements are safe for hotel residents and local people."

The Granby Hotel has been approached for comment.

Across the county, hotels and office blocks have been identified as potential sites to house asylum seekers.

Anchorage House, formerly Medway's County and Family Court, in Chatham High Street, is also being considered for use by the Home Office.

Kelly Tolhurst, MP for Rochester and Strood, has said it was a "totally inappropriate location" for the plan but details were still yet to be confirmed.