Flares thrown at migrant hotel

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault after flares were thrown at The Bell hotel in Epping.

Essex Police put a dispersal order in place on Friday night, covering the entire town, until 6am on Saturday. It gives officers the power to tell people committing antisocial behaviour, or suspected to be planning it, to leave the area or risk arrest.

There have been ongoing protests and disorder at The Bell hotel over the housing of asylum seekers after a resident there sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl. Video from Friday evening showed a person with their face covered throwing several flares over metal fences in front of the hotel.

"Lighting flares in public spaces poses a clear and real risk to anyone nearby," said Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow "They cannot be used to damage property or harass others, and anyone we identify in connection with those used tonight will be subject to arrest." He said there would be a "significant" police presence at the hotel over the weekend. More than 30 people have so far been arrested near the hotel, with 21 charged with offences including assaulting a police officer and violent disorder.

The latest arrest comes after two more people were charged on Tuesday for breaching an order setting out where protesters could gather and when they had to disperse. The man whose arrest first sparked the trouble was this week convicted of sexual assault.

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 41, tried to kiss the 14-year-old, put his hand on her thigh and brushed her hair when she offered him pizza in July. He also told two teenagers he wanted to "have a baby with each of them".

Read more from Sky News:Labour plans to 'overhaul broken asylum system'Asylum seekers in hotels rise by 8% under Labour Epping Council this week was denied the chance to appeal after its temporary injunction to stop asylum seekers being housed at the hotel was overturned. Similar protests have been held in other areas of the UK, with counter-protesters also turning up at many locations.

The government has pledged to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the end of this parliament. Reducing illegal small-boat crossings remains a major political issue, with 29,003 people arriving by the end of August, the highest on record for this point of the year..