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

The protests began after an asylum seeker living at the hotel was arrested and charged with sexual assault, harassment and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. Hadush Kebatu, 41, from Ethiopia, has denied the offences and remains in custody on remand.

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

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”.

The Home Office has said it is working to close hotels and “restore order” after a council unanimously voted to urge the Government to shut a hotel housing asylum seekers following a series of protests around the site.

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

I was at the opening of the pop-up Taco Bell hotel, The Bell, in Palm Springs, California (The Desert Sun, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, paid $250 for a one-night stay).

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