A Syrian asylum seeker and female migrant have been discovered operating an adult content business from a taxpayer-funded hotel in Blackpool, exposing wider concerns about illegal working and abuse of the asylum system that has prompted government action.
Staff at the Metropole Hotel on Central Promenade made the shocking discovery during a routine room inspection, finding the couple engaged in filming explicit content for the OnlyFans platform, complete with professional camera equipment and adult accessories.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of asylum accommodation arrangements that currently cost taxpayers £8 million daily, whilst highlighting broader issues of illegal working among asylum seekers housed in government-funded hotels across Britain.
Discovery Sparks Outrage
A former manager at the Metropole Hotel revealed disturbing details of the discovery to The Sun newspaper. “The guy had a whole set-up, a camera on a tripod at the end of the bed, sex toys everywhere, it was pretty obvious what was happening,” the whistleblower stated.
The couple were running an illegal porn business from the hotel. He was naked with just a towel around him when he answered the door. She was wearing sexy lingerie, lying on the bed.”
The Syrian man responsible for creating the explicit videos has since been relocated to another accommodation site, which critics say appears to be his only punishment for the violation.
The Metropole Hotel, owned by Britannia Hotels, has housed hundreds of asylum seekers since September 2021, despite repeated concerns from Blackpool Council and local MPs about the suitability of the location.
Government Launches Nationwide Crackdown
The revelation comes as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a “nationwide blitz” on asylum seekers working illegally, with particular focus on the gig economy where many have been found working as delivery drivers for companies including Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats.
“Illegal working undermines honest business and undercuts local wages, the British public will not stand for it and neither will this Government,” Cooper declared, announcing enhanced enforcement measures.
The Home Office confirmed that anyone caught “flagrantly abusing the system in this way” faces having state support discontinued, including accommodation or financial payments.
Under UK law, asylum seekers are prohibited from working whilst their claims are being processed, though permission can be applied for after twelve months of waiting. OnlyFans producers can charge subscribers to view their content, potentially generating significant income illegally.
Wider Pattern of Abuse Exposed
The whistleblower revealed additional instances of system abuse at the Blackpool hotel. Many of these people are supposed to be coming here with no funds, but in one case, a family turned up with Louis Vuitton luggage,” they told The Sun.
Another migrant reportedly boasted on TikTok to 40,000 followers about “how he was getting everything for free” whilst staying in taxpayer-funded accommodation.
Evidence of illegal working was particularly prevalent, with the source adding: “You’d see the Deliveroo bikes leaving in the morning. Some of the young lads would work at a car wash for eight hours and earn £5 per hour or £40 a day.”
Opposition Condemns “Depravity” in Hotels
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp expressed fury at the revelations, stating: “These hotels full of illegal immigrants are dens of illegal working, criminality, and now we learn depravity as well.
This is all being overseen by Yvette Cooper, using billions of pounds of our hard-earned money,” he added, calling for immediate action to shut down what he termed “centres for illegal working.
Philp recently conducted an unannounced visit to an asylum hotel in London where he discovered “a compound full of bikes with Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats bags,” providing further evidence of widespread illegal employment.
Blackpool’s Long-Standing Concerns
The use of the Metropole Hotel for asylum accommodation has faced persistent opposition since 2021. Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has repeatedly called for an end to the arrangement, describing the hotel as “wholly inadequate” for housing vulnerable families.
Initially, the previous Conservative government assured us that the hotel would be used for only three months—an assurance that has long since evaporated now we’re passing its third year,” Webb stated in September 2024.
The hotel sits in Claremont ward, identified as the fourth most deprived area in the country, with existing social problems including a history of child sexual exploitation—factors that councillors say make it unsuitable for housing vulnerable asylum seekers.
Local council leader Lynn Williams confirmed: “Since the start of the use of the hotel for this purpose, we have been clear about our view that this is not a suitable location for the much needed support of vulnerable people fleeing abuse and persecution.
Soaring Costs Burden Taxpayers
The financial implications of asylum accommodation have reached staggering proportions. According to latest government figures, housing asylum seekers in hotels costs approximately £8 million daily, with more than 38,000 currently accommodated in hotels nationwide.
The average annual cost per asylum seeker has more than doubled from £17,000 in 2019/20 to approximately £41,000 in 2023/24, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Treasury documents released in March 2025 admitted that taxpayer-funded migrant hotels will remain operational “for years to come” due to “global instability” and housing shortages, contradicting Labour’s election pledge to end the practice.
Delivery Companies Respond
Following government pressure, Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats have committed to implementing enhanced facial verification checks within ninety days to identify unauthorised workers.
Just Eat announced it would increase checks from monthly to daily frequency and stated it “fully supports” government efforts to combat illegal working. Deliveroo confirmed it maintains a “zero tolerance approach to anyone abusing our platform,” whilst Uber Eats said it is “committed to tackling illegal working.”
Businesses found employing people without the right to work face fines of up to £60,000 per worker, director disqualifications, and potential prison sentences of up to five years.
What Happens Next
The Home Office has launched “strategic, intel-driven activity” bringing together officers across the UK to target migrants suspected of working illegally whilst receiving taxpayer support.
With small boat crossings reaching record levels—over 20,600 arrivals in 2025, up 52 per cent on the same period in 2024—the government faces mounting pressure to address both illegal working and accommodation costs.
The Syrian man caught making adult content at the Metropole has been moved to alternative accommodation, though critics argue stronger deterrents are needed to prevent further abuse of the asylum system.
As the government struggles to fulfil its promise to “smash the gangs” facilitating illegal immigration, the incident at Blackpool’s Metropole Hotel has become a lightning rod for broader concerns about immigration control and taxpayer value.
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Image Credit:
Metropole Hotel – Photo by Roger Cornfoot, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph.org.uk and Wikimedia Commons.
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