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A controversial camp for asylum seekers in East Sussex will cost taxpayers more than £5.5m in additional policing, according to the area's Police and Crime Commissioner.
A former army cadet training camp at Crowborough has been commandeered by the Home Office to accommodate up to 540 male migrants.
The first illegal migrants were brought into the cadet training camp at Crowborough under the cover of darkness at 3.30am on Thursday morning.
But it has been revealed the camp will cost an extra £5.62m to police, with more officers, technology and equipment being required.
Katy Bourne, Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex, said the money is needed to cover the anticipated costs of the policing operation - including community engagement, public order and investigations.
Ms Bourne said the force will also need more equipment, vehicles and technology over the remainder of this financial year and in 2026/27.
She said the costing drawn up by Sussex Police is on the basis of Home Office assurances that the site will only be in use for 12 months.
Ms Bourne has now submitted a funding application to the Home Office requesting it foots the bill. She is awaiting a response.
It will cost taxpayers an extra £5.62million to police the camp at Crowborough (pictured) once the asylum seekers are moved in
Crowborough residents have been marching regularly in their thousands since October last year when it was first proposed migrants would be placed in the Training Camp
There will be extra officers, technology and equipment required to police the camp. The money will also be used for community engagement, public order and investigations
Her move comes after Sussex Police calculated the likely cost to the force of policing the camp.
The decision to use Crowborough as a site to house migrants while their asylum applications are being processed was taken by the Home Office in October.
The move has caused fury among local residents who are angry that 540 single men will be free to come and go as they please. They have accused Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood of 'riding rough-shod' over the feelings of a community and acting with impunity.
Thousands have marched through the town on 11 separate weekends in protest against the move.
Feelings are running high in Crowborough and police are bracing themselves for a huge crowd this weekend when protesters take to the streets for the 12th time.
A campaign has also raised more than £93,000 to fund legal action seeking a Judicial Review of the Home Office decision.
The Home Office says the men will only be housed at the site for up to three months each, before being removed from the country if their claim is rejected.
Pictures and video footage has been released of the camp by the Home Office showing the facilities. Footage shows dormitories, a medical centre, shower blocks, dining and leisure areas, as well as interview suites and induction rooms.
The Home Office released photos of the dormitories (pictured) that await the 540 migrant men
Other facilities were also pictured, like this shower
The dining hall at Crowborough Training Camp
The Training Camp is populated by lots of these brick buildings
Signs have been put up on the buildings, designating their uses like this medic centre. There are also interview suites and induction rooms
Last night, Sussex Police confirmed that extra money is being sought from the government to fund policing operations at the camp.
A spokesperson for the force said: 'We recognise the impact of this additional policing demand and are committed to keeping the public safe across the whole of Sussex. We are working with the Home Office to seek additional funding.'
In an earlier statement, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: 'Illegal migration has been placing immense pressure on communities.
'That is why we are removing the incentives that draw illegal migrants to Britain, closing asylum hotels that are blighting communities.
'Crowborough is just the start. I will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed and returned to local communities. I will not rest until order and control to our borders is restored.'
The Home Office says moving to large sites like Crowborough is an important part of the government's reforms to tackle illegal migration and the pull factors that make the UK an attractive destination while reducing the pressure on communities caused by hotels.