Residents of Piddington, Oxfordshire, have voted in a symbolic referendum to leave the United Kingdom, protesting government plans to accommodate up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at a former Ministry of Defence site near Bicester.

The unofficial vote was held on Tuesday, with 312 ballots cast. Of those, 285 supported independence, 26 opposed it and one ballot was spoiled. The result was announced on Wednesday.

The proposed accommodation has become a major local issue, with campaigners raising concerns about the scale of the facility, local infrastructure and the lack of consultation. The Home Office says closing asylum hotels will save taxpayers more than £1 billion and that it is working with local authorities and police on the arrangements.

The referendum is symbolic and has no legal power to remove Piddington from the UK. Nevertheless, the unusual protest has highlighted wider tensions over asylum accommodation and how national migration policies affect individual communities.