Epping anti-migrant protests cost police £1.6 million and show no sign of stopping

Policing costs tied to anti-migrant protests in Epping have surpassed £1.6 million, with authorities warning the demonstrations show no sign of ending.

The Bell Hotel, which houses about 150 asylum seekers, has become the focal point of a series of intense protests and counter-protests since mid-July. Thousands have taken part in marches through the Essex town, sparked after an asylum seeker living at the hotel was charged and later convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Essex’s policing leadership has warned that the workload strains resources. Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, told the BBC the force would only receive government help if costs rose to £4 million, calling the response a "classic public service conundrum" that requires the job to be done now. He noted that the situation has demanded a substantial level of resources and that there is no obvious end to the demonstrations.

Essex’s Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper has spoken publicly about the ugly confrontations officers regularly face while on duty, describing the tone of some encounters as threatening and pointed. As the protests have persisted, officers have been drafted in from across the United Kingdom to help contain the volatility, a development that has raised concerns about the impact on policing anywhere else in the country.

The disorder intensified in August, when police said three men were arrested after officers were injured during demonstrations outside The Bell. The protests were sparked by the arrival of Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian national who arrived in the country on a small boat and was later jailed for 12 months after attempting to kiss a schoolgirl and groping another woman who came to her aid. While Kebatu’s case drew condemnation, it also amplified political and legal disputes over how asylum seekers should be housed and how protests around them should be managed.

Under current law, foreign offenders who receive a prison sentence of 12 months or more can be deported automatically, while deportations for shorter sentences are limited to certain circumstances. In the months since Kebatu’s conviction, government plans have been unveiled to remove certain offenders with custodial sentences and impose lifelong bans on returning, though other violent criminals remain subject to full sentence completion before ejection.

The legal battle surrounding The Bell intensified when the Court of Appeal overturned a temporary High Court injunction that would have forced 138 asylum seekers housed at the hotel to leave by September 12. The decision preserved the hotel’s ability to continue housing asylum seekers while further litigation proceeded. Epping Forest District Council argued that site owner Somani Hotels breached planning rules by not notifying authorities about the Bell’s operation, a point that could yield a full injunction later if the council succeeds at a later hearing. A three-day hearing in London was scheduled to begin on October 15 to determine the full outcome of the council’s case.

The ruling sparked outraged responses from opponents who argued that the government was siding with migrants over Britons. In the wake of the decision, Epping Forest District Council said it would take the fight to the Supreme Court. The broader political narrative around asylum hotels broadened, with several councils outside Essex pledging to pursue legal action aimed at removing asylum seekers from hotels. Labour-led authorities including Wirral, Stevenage, Tamworth and Rushmoor announced plans to pursue bids against the government, highlighting a national dimension to what began as a local dispute.

The protests have spilled beyond Essex. In Newcastle, hundreds of anti-immigration demonstrators clashed with counter-protesters in the city center. A 500-strong march, featuring groups aligned with nationalist and anti-migrant rhetoric, drew participants from the Newgate Hotel, which houses asylum seekers, to the quayside. The event culminated in arrests for breach of peace and a broader debate about how such protests should be policed and managed outside major urban centers. In the wake of the Newcastle event, organizers canceled the launch of a new political party at another venue and redirected activities elsewhere.

National figures and data have continued to frame the Epping situation within a larger trend. By the end of June, the number of asylum seekers housed in taxpayer-funded hotels stood at just over 32,000, up about eight percent from a year earlier. The Home Office also reported a new high of 111,084 asylum applications lodged in the year to June, up 14 percent from the previous 12 months. Despite rising numbers, Labour has pledged to close all migrant hotels by 2029 as part of a broader reform agenda.

In August, authorities won a temporary High Court injunction intended to halt placements at The Bell, but the Court of Appeal subsequently ruled in favor of allowing asylum seekers to continue being housed there while the broader challenge proceeds. Epping Forest District Council has signaled it will pursue the matter to the Supreme Court if necessary. The Home Office has emphasized ongoing accommodation needs for asylum seekers amid a backdrop of competing legal rulings and political commitments.

Financially, the cost of asylum support in the UK has remained high even as it fluctuates year to year. Total spending on asylum support fell to £4.76 billion in 2024-25, down from £5.38 billion the year before, but the figure remains far higher than a decade ago, when annual costs were under £500 million. The evolving mix of housing, welfare, and legal costs continues to shape policy decisions at local and national levels as authorities balance security, humanitarian responsibilities, and budgetary constraints.

The Epping case underscores the ongoing tension between local policing demands and national asylum policy. While court rulings shape where people can be housed and under what conditions, police commanders warn that the demands of large, recurring demonstrations require sustained, multi-jurisdictional investigations and resources. As legal challenges proceed and political visions for asylum policy continue to unfold, communities near The Bell Hotel and across the country will remain attentive to how the state manages both the immediate safety concerns and the long-term questions about housing, rights, and public order.