B&Bs turn down jail’s invitation to be halfway houses

A number of bed and breakfasts in Cleethorpes were taken by surprise when prison chiefs in Hull contacted them to ask if they would put up ex-convicts.

Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers has written to Prisons Minister Jeremy Wright to ask for the idea to be ditched - as he thinks it could reflect badly on the resort, which is already going through a tough patch, because of the bad weather and drop in visitors arriving by train following a landslide which wil cut direct services from Doncaster until the summer.

He said: “The tourism industry is worried when it is already going through a particularly difficult time that this could give people a negative view of the resort.”

Landlady Gill Borg-Fenech said: “Someone rang from Hull prison to ask if I’d be willing to house prisoners who had been released from Hull prison while they found alternative accommodation. I was just a bit taken aback.

“Everybody deserves a second chance but I couldn’t give them a second chance at the risk of me losing my business or losing my reputation if something were to go wrong. I just felt totally uncomfortable about it.. we are guesthouses - not halfway houses.”

The Prison Service said it would only apply to “low-risk” offenders, who hasn’t been convicted of sexual or violent offences.

But Francis Wood, owner of Cleethorpes guesthouse Ginnie’s and chairman of cleethorpestourism.com, which represents 14 guesthouses, said: “Are we supposed to be happy we are going to get burglars, conmen and computer hackers? Are my guests going to be happy in the same house with someone who knowingly steals and can get through locked doors? I suppose you could argue they have to go somewhere, but I am running a business, not a charity.”

A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “In order to reduce the chance of reoffending it is essential that offenders have a place to stay after release.

“HMP Hull works closely with groups such as Shelter to find accommodation for prisoners without a fixed address.

“On extremely rare occasions where no alternatives are available, a place can be found for low risk offenders who have served their prison term in a B&B for a very short period. This does not apply to those convicted of violent or sexual offences.”