THETFORD, United Kingdom – Police in eastern England arrested five people following three nights of protests targeting properties believed to house asylum seekers.

The demonstrations in Thetford, which took place from Tuesday to Thursday, forced officers to escort residents to safety after crowds gathered outside buildings they thought were linked to asylum seeker accommodation.

Paul Sanford, chief constable of Norfolk police, confirmed on Friday that some of those escorted from their homes were asylum seekers.

“On a couple of occasions, that required us to escort the residents of those properties away for their safety,” Sanford told BBC Radio 4.

The unrest followed government proposals to use a nearby disused military site to house asylum seekers while their applications are processed.

According to The Guardian, more than 100 people protested on Tuesday and Wednesday after a list of properties allegedly linked to asylum seeker housing circulated online.

Three people were arrested during the first two nights on suspicion of public order offences. Police said one officer was hit by a rock, another was bitten and a third was spat at.

Two more men were arrested on Thursday night, which officers described as calmer than previous evenings.

Videos shared on social media showed police escorting residents from targeted homes while dozens of protesters shouted “get out” and “refugees not welcome”.

Sanford said without police intervention it was “highly likely that the protesters would have got into the property and really threatened the safety of the occupants”.

The government has been struggling to find suitable sites to house thousands of asylum seekers and is legally required to provide accommodation and health care while processing applications.

The interior ministry has sought to reduce the use of hotels, which has become a flashpoint for protests as anger over immigration fuels support for far-right groups.

Similar unrest hit Belfast in June when anti-migrant riots erupted after a Sudanese asylum seeker was charged with stabbing. Rioters targeted ethnic minorities and housing believed to be linked to migrant accommodation after addresses circulated online.

Earlier this year, hundreds protested against plans to house asylum seekers at a former military barracks in southern England.

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