Ceno Restaurant has announced it has closed after over 20 years, blaming “ongoing issues connected with the Highfield Hotel” in which it’s located, and which accommodates asylum seekers.

In a statement on Facebook, the restaurant claimed it had lacked support from the hotel and authorities regarding “ongoing damage caused by the hotel residents”, whom it described as “illegal immigrants”, and also around parking issues.

It thanked local residents and said the restaurant was planning to relocate in the spring, and looked forward to welcoming back “loyal customers, as well as new friends and families”.

Southampton Stand Up to Racism, organisers of counter protests opposite the hotel, said it was important “to be clear about the context” of the closure. It said in its own statement that while the hotel had been home to asylum seekers since 2020, “local businesses – including Ceno Bar – operated alongside it without incident”.

The group said that what had changed over recent months was repeated demonstrations outside the hotel by a group calling themselves “Southampton Patriots”, lasting hours and “often two or three times a week”.

It added: “Attempts to blame asylum seekers or the hotel for the bar’s closure are misplaced and unfair”.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary told the BBC that its neighbourhood policing team has had regular contact with businesses in Portswood, including near-weekly visits to Ceno, and was not aware of any reported issues or criminal damage.

You can read Ceno’s full statement on Facebook here. Southampton Stand Up to Racism’s statement is here.