Epping council chief calls for 'immediate and permanent closure' of migrant hotels at centre of clashes

Council leader Chris Whitbread claimed "repeated warnings to the Home Office about the unsuitability of both sites have gone unheeded”, The Standard reports.

He said several incidents linked to asylum seekers staying in the Bell Hotel in Epping and the Phoenix Hotel in Bobbingworth have sparked violence in recent weeks.

There have been a series of demonstrations in Epping since asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault after an incident earlier this month in which he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl.

This comes as three men are wanted over violence at a protest outside the Bell Hotel.

Epping Forest District Council are due to meet on Thursday night to discuss a motion by Mr Whitbread.

He said the council "expresses grave concern that there is no transparency over who is being housed in these hotels, or what risk they may pose to the community".

The local authority alleges that “the Government’s actions are reckless and have potentially endangered public safety”.

Their statement calls on the Home Office to “cease the use of unsuitable hotels in small towns and rural areas for asylum processing”.

The Home Secretary said: “We inherited a broken asylum and immigration system, and that's why we've been taking action step by step, including 6,000 fewer asylum seekers in hotels in the last six months, and a 28% increase in returns of failed asylum seekers since the election, but it takes time to tackle that broken system.

"I think the police do a really important job across our country, keeping communities safe, and it's really important, frankly, that people support our police rather than just attacking them continually, as we've seen from Reform, one day calling for Chief Constables to resign, the other day telling women police officers they’re not fit for the job.

"I think it's really important across the country that we all support our police, at a time when they are working so hard to keep our communities safe.”

Martin Peagram, 33, Shaun Thompson, 37 and Philip Curson, 52, are wanted in connection with property damage and violence during the anti-migrant protests.

Essex Police have made 16 arrests following the series of protests outside. Six have been charged.

Four were later charged with violent disorder.

This comes as Essex Police "have questions to answer" after pro-migrant protesters were guided to the Epping hotel at the centre of violence, the migration minister has said.

After initally denying they had escorted pro-migrant protesters to the asylum hotel, Essex Police eventually admitted they did.

Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari, Seema Malhotra noted that police are operationally independent, saying: "I will leave it to Essex police to answer those questions."

She added: "But I will just tell you what I see, which is the same thing that happens up and down the country every year at marches, at protests, at football matches and so on, which is if you have two rival groups heading to the same location, the police will usually put up a cordon around which the smaller group can avoid.

"So together [the police] can avoid any clashes and ensure they're between the two, [and] ensure that they keep the two groups separate."

"And that's why there will be questions for Essex police to answer," she said.

Asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sexual assault after an incident earlier this month in which he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl.

Kebatu denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Essex Police said the protests began peacefully but “escalated to the point of disorder and criminal damage”.

A dispersal order in Epping has now been issued.

The order, which is in place from 2pm on Thursday until 8am on Friday, covers an area including the town centre and transport hubs and networks such as the tube station.

It gives officers the power to direct anyone suspected of committing anti-social behaviour, or planning to do so, to leave the area or face arrest.

Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said: “As I’ve consistently said throughout our policing of this matter, this isn’t about preventing or limiting people’s lawful right to express their views and protest.

“Those who exercise this right in a peaceful manner have nothing to worry about. This is about preventing violent disorder and keeping the public safe.

“We will not hesitate to make arrests when criminality takes place. We remain impartial at all times and have legal responsibilities to ensure peaceful protest is facilitated.

“Our priority during the policing of each protest is the safety of everyone there, and we’ve used tried and tested public order tactics to achieve this.”

The officer said on Monday that the cost of policing the incidents in Epping over the last week had reached £100,000.