Hotel boss says he turned down £20m to house migrants in his hotel

The owner of a historic hotel claims he turned down £20million from the government to start housing migrants there.

John Mappin, who owns the Camelot Castle Hotel in Cornwall, said he was contacted by a company 'representing' the Home Office' that wanted to house asylum seekers.

He says he was told that he would have to 'lay off most of the existing staff at the hotel' and that the company told him that they would not pay for repairs 'if the place got trashed'.

The offer was for 'full occupancy' of his hotel on a 'rolling contract', Mr Mapping said, which he felt could last up to a decade.

And he claimed that despite the eye-watering sums involved, he had no regrets and no second thoughts about rejecting the offer.