A ring of steel has been put up around a four-star hotel in London’s Canary Wharf ahead of the prospective arrival of migrants.

At least 18 people have been arrested in connection with protests outside Epping's Bell Hotel, which have spiralled into violent clashes.

Protesters gathered at the site in London after posts claimed migrants were being moved there from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex

Government officials have defended the use of such hotels as necessary stopgap measures while longer-term solutions are developed.

An Essex council has demanded the “immediate and permanent closure” of two asylum hotels after a “number of serious incidents” in the town. Epping Forest District Council met on Thursday night to discuss a motion by leader Chris Whitbread that said: “Repeated warnings to the Home Office about the unsuitability of both sites have gone unheeded”.

THE dad of a girl allegedly sexually assaulted by an asylum seeker wants the hotel where the migrant stayed to be shut down, a councillor has claimed. This week Epping in Essex, and later Canary

Protests over The Bell Hotel, which houses asylum seekers, continued in Epping, Essex, on Thursday, July 24. Demonstrators, accompanied by police, marched from the hotel to the council offices. RESTRICTIONS AND USAGE TERMS: Please credit “@GhorbaniiNiyak via Spectee”.

Una ciudad en las afueras de Londres se vio remecida por una protesta organizada ante un hotel que alberga solicitantes de asilo por segunda vez en cuatro

Demonstrations began outside Bell Hotel in Epping, since an asylum seeker was charged after allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl earlier this month. | ITV News London