Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli: Five protesters arrested

Five protesters have been arrested at a hotel set to house asylum seekers.

Police appealed for "calm and co-operation" amid "escalation" in demonstrations at Stradey Park Hotel, in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire.

Dyfed-Powys officers said they were particularly concerned about people in balaclavas and they have been given the power to demand they are removed.

It comes after one man was arrested for allegedly damaging a hotel contractor's car on Monday.

Police said five further arrests were made on Wednesday in connection with further incidents.

The hotel owner took protesters to court last month over hindering access to the site.

Gryphon Leisure Ltd secured a temporary High Court injunction against protesters which limited their activities.

Protests began when the plans to house up to 241 asylum seekers were announced in June, and disrupted preparations to move the new residents in by 10 July.

Dyfed-Powys Police said a Section 60AA order, under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, had been put in place. This means police can ask anyone to take off something they believe is being used to hide their identity.

"We will always seek to facilitate peaceful protest, while balancing it with the rights of others, keeping the public safe and preventing crime and disorder," a force spokesperson said.

Protesters have previously said worry around the intended use of the hotel stemmed from a lack of information being provided to locals.

Furnace Action Committee previously responded to the threat of legal action by asking people to support an online "fighting fund".

The group hoped to raise at least £10,000 online to fund legal action to "defend the cause."

It claimed Gryphon Leisure had "picked on innocent locals to take to court".