Sexual assault and violence are rife among accommodation housing refugees in Amsterdam, locals have warned. Stek Oost is a block for 250 students and young people in ­Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, which describes itself as a “safe and comfortable environment where young people and refugee status holders are building a new life together”. But locals have reported problems and have described the area as unfriendly.

Dutch residents enjoy lower rent if they “buddy up” with someone who has arrived in the country from other lands, including Syria, Eritrea, Iraq and Iran. The scheme was the idea of the local municipality and a housing corporation called Stadgenoot, which proposed that 125 Dutch students and young workers aged 28 or younger would share living space with 125 migrants.

But the building has reportedly encountered problems, including more than 20 reports of alleged sex assaults and violence being made to the police, it is reported.

The mixture of people is “too intense”, Simona, 27, who works as a chef and has lived here for five years, told The Mail.

She opted out, having just wanted somewhere more affordable to live.

Simona added: “I know lots of people who’ve had problems with ­refugees – loads of them, particularly women. And most of them have left. They had to.”

Kassem, 28, is a Syrian who arrived in the Netherlands nine years ago. Now he is studying to be a social worker, having lived at the housing scheme for two years.

The student said: “Most of the people like me have come from war zones, terrible times.

“A lot are from Eritrea, where there are very bad stories.”

Kassem said these people “need proper help” from medical experts.

“It is not OK to just put them here and say, ‘This is your room,'” he added. “It is dangerous. Very dangerous.”

Stadgenoot said in a statement: “We deeply regret the incidents that occurred at Stek Oost in the past. We have learned from this and taken action alongside the local council.”

The landlord also said it had changed the ratio at the accommodation to 70:30 Dutch to migrant, and tweaked the social management.

It comes as three people were arrested following two incidents of disorder outside a British training camp in Crowborough, which is being used to house asylum seekers.

About 27 men have been housed at the camp, where the Home Office plans to accommodate up to 500 men as it bids to end the use of asylum hotels.

The move has sparked opposition from neighbours of the camp, and the local authority, Wealden District Council, has said it is considering legal action.

On a visit to Crowborough on Thursday, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, vowed to defend any legal challenge “vigorously”.

She told broadcasters: “I understand the strength of feeling, but I do also believe that getting out of asylum hotels is absolutely crucial for the country.

“We should never have used asylum hotels to house illegal migrants into this country.”

Latest Home Office figures show the number of asylum seekers being temporarily housed in hotels increased by 13% to 36,273 at the end of September.

On Thursday, the Government said 197 hotels were being used to house asylum seekers as of January 5, down from more than 400 at its peak under the previous Government.