Protesters clashed with police outside the hotel in Essex last week, after a man living there was charged with sexual assault.

Essex Police have denied claims officers “bussed” counter-demonstrators to a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping last week. The claims have promoted a call from Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage for the force’s chief constable to resign.

Police have denied “bussing claims” after officers escorted anti-racist protesters to a taxpayer-funded hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping. Essex Police said it provided a “foot cordon” for protesters but said claims officers “bussed” counter-demonstrators to the Bell Hotel were “categorically wrong”.