A RUMOURED proposal to house 1,000 asylum seekers at a military camps near Tenby, have been shelved, a local councillor has said.

Rumours have been circulating on social media that the camps at Penally, Castlemartin and Manorbier have been earmarked as holding centres for migrants.

A government spokesman previously said that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had “advised on the possibility of providing temporary accommodation for asylum applicants on the Defence estate. No decisions have been made.”

A Welsh government spokesperson previously told the Western Telegraph: “Decisions regarding the dispersal of asylum seekers are the responsibility of the Home Office; immigration is not devolved to the Welsh government.

“The Home Office has informed us no decisions have been taken on the future use of this site.”

Penally’s county councillor, Jon Preston, has written to Welsh First Minister, Carwyn Jones, asking him to establish the facts “as a matter of urgency”.

Cllr Preston said he has now been forwarded a statement from the MOD this morning, March 16: "You are advised that the proposal to house Asylum Seekers in Penally Training Camp has been shelved. This will obviously come as a relief to the local community"

Cllr Preston said: “Although there was never any evidence that this was a real proposal, it is reassuring to have confirmation especially to those who live very close to the camp. We still have work to do, but the re-settling of families and siting a major holding unit in Pembrokeshire unit are two very separate issues which require very separate solutions.”

The Western Telegraph is awaiting confirmation.