A council leader has described protests outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers as a "powder keg" situation. Epping Forest District Council's Conservative leader Chris Whitbread was speaking after more than 1,000 people gathered outside The Bell Hotel in the town in separate protests over two nights last week.

A town on the outskirts of London was rocked by protesters who descended on a hotel housing asylum seekers for the second time in four days on Sunday night amid anger about a migrant accused of sexual