Residents near a migrant hotel in Essex stormed by rioters said they have been ‘sickened’ by the violence which unfolded on their doorstep.

Far-right activists surrounded the Bell Hotel in Epping on Thursday evening, hurling bottles and clashing with police.

Debris from the unrest which reached a peak last night lay strewn across the hotel car park.

Metal barriers surround the hotel which was ‘under siege’ with dozens of activists, some with their faces covered, shouting slogans including ‘send them back.’

One man draped in an England flag jumped on the police van (UKNIP)

One protester jumped on a police van roof as rioters goaded officers who called in reinforcements. Police from the Met and Essex were called to the scene.

Staff at the hotel told Metro that that the car park was a no-go zone after the riot as they feared the protesters would return in force.

One, who looked visibly shaken, said: ‘Everyone is ok but no one is allowed in the car park. The police say so.’

A nearby resident, 48, who did not want to be named, said: ‘I was sickened by what I saw. This is not acceptable. We have families and having these thugs shouting and chucking stuff is disgusting.’

Another said: ‘It’s not ideal living right near a migrant hotel but what is worse is these rioters causing mayhem. There is rubbish everywhere from stuff they have chucked and they sort of lay siege to the hotel which must be terrifying for those inside.’

Videos have been circulating online of protesters, many draped in the English flag, jumping on police vans driving towards the centre of the unrest.

One police van sped through an improvised blockade on Epping High Street narrowly missing a person who appears to refuse to move out of the way.

Some witnesses have said he was run over by the police car, but there are no reports of any injuries.

Most of the demonstrations earlier in the day were peaceful, but riot police were called after men, some of whom were masked, threw bottles, eggs and flour at anti-racism counter-protesters.

Demonstrators even threw a log at police forcing them to retreat back to the hotel to form a wheel of shields.

Chants of ‘Send them back’ echoed off the walls as other members of the mob hurled missiles at police blockades.

Most of the carnage was filmed by the rioters themselves and shared widely on social media.

At one point a protester tries to defend themself from a riot van with a St George’s flag.

Chaos unfolded again when the riot police entered the area, blocked by many of the locals protesting against the hotel, where a migrant who is facing multiple sexual assault charges on a child had been staying.

Ethiopian man Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence.

Kebatu lives at the hotel and has since been remanded in custody after his hearing last week, but denies any wrongdoing.

Earlier on in the week, graffiti was scrawled on the hotel windows, ‘Go home’ and ‘This is England, die’.

On Sunday, a group showed up to protest, and some men launched an attack on two hotel workers who had just got off the bus to begin their shift, mistaking them for hotel residents.

Local community leaders are still raising concerns about the hotel. Chris Whitbread, the leader of Epping Forest District Council, said they warned the Home Office that the site was ‘entirely inappropriate’.

‘Placing vulnerable individuals from a wide range of cultural backgrounds into an unsupervised setting, in the centre of a small town, without the proper infrastructure, support or services, is both reckless and unacceptable,’ he said.

‘It puts pressure on local services, causes understandable concern for residents, and is unfair on those placed in the hotel. The Home Office must now face the reality of the situation.’

Chief Superintendent at Essex Police Simon Anslow said: ‘I am sure those living in Epping have concerns following tonight. I share those concerns.

‘We know the people who carried out these crimes do not represent Epping or Essex.

‘Nothing about the offending we saw tonight is representative of these communities, or the peaceful event that ended before this started.

‘This was crime.

‘Our detectives are already working through the footage of this evening – from our officers bodyworn camera, from our drones and from social media – and where offences are identified we will take action.

‘People attended the earlier protest and did so peacefully, lawfully and responsibly. I’d like to thank them for expressing their views this way given the strength of feeling locally.

‘The details of the ongoing sexual assault case can be found on our website, and I reiterate the importance for respect for the court process to prevent the release of any prejudicial information in relation to that case.’

Officers on patrol last night arrested a man on suspicion of affray, following an assault reported close to The Bell Hotel on Sunday evening.

Dean Walters, 65, of Corner Meadow in Harlow, has been charged with affray.

He has been released on bail to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court 24 September.