Five arrested as more than 1,000 protesters gather outside Essex asylum hotel

Protesters in Epping, Essex, on Sunday. Officers issued order warning of arrest for anyone wearing a face covering before the protest. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Five people have been arrested after more than 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside a hotel in Essex believed to be housing asylum seekers, police said.

Demonstrators, some of whom appeared to be drinking alcohol, chanted “send them home” and “save our kids” as bottles and smoke flares were thrown towards police vans blocking the entrance to the Bell hotel in Epping on Sunday evening.