London borough refers fake council letter about asylum seekers to Met Police

The letter, which purported to be from the council’s Development Management Team, titled ‘Neighbourhood Notice – New Residential Occupancy’, was posted to some homes in the borough before circulating online.

According to the Standard, the letter falsely claimed that Bexley Council was converting houses in the area to accommodate asylum seekers under government “asylum accommodation arrangements”.

The letter reportedly contained a series of claims about asylum seekers, including that “young men aged approximately 19-40 years old” would be entering the community and that “the rules in their home countries are different from ours”.

Meanwhile, residents were reportedly advised to keep animals indoors, keep cars and windows locked and secure garden tools and bikes.

After being made aware of the letter, the council referred the matter to the Metropolitan Police and issued a statement warning residents it was “not from the council”.

A Bexley spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of a fake letter posted to some homes, supposedly from our Development Management Team, titled ‘Neighbourhood Notice – New Residential Occupancy’ and dated 24 August 2026.

“We wish to make it clear that this letter is not from the Council and we have referred the matter to the Metropolitan Police.”

Lottie Winson