Women across Essex say they're being harassed by male asylum seekers in local town centres, told to "cover up," filmed on phones without consent, stared at in groups, and followed. Several now say they won't walk through their own town alone anymore. Essex County Council, run by Reform UK, has responded by putting private security guards on the streets of Colchester, Braintree and Chelmsford under what it's calling Operation Vanguard. One woman in Colchester said her and her friends have stopped going out alone, calling the town a "no-go area." A man in Chelmsford said his wife and daughter were too shaken to go back after their last visit. The men causing concern are housed at the former RAF Wethersfield site, which holds single adult males. The Home Office runs 17 minibuses a day ferrying residents into the 3 towns. Capacity at the site is being expanded from 800 to 1,245, a rise of more than 50%.