Kent Police defend response to Port of Dover protest

Tapp said the incident, which started at about 07:00 BST, caused “absolutely awful disruption” for residents.

He added: “In this instance, it would appear that the police didn’t know about it, and the resources were pretty thin on the ground, to be quite honest, from what I saw.”

Anti-hate organisation Hope Not Hate claimed the Patriot Platform network arranged it, saying the group began meeting in July and had brought together members of anti-migrant groups from around the country.

The demonstrators told the BBC on Saturday they did not want to talk to the media, although one said “send them back” and another said “stop the boats” when approached.

Brookes said that the only offence the force was investigating was criminal damage to a road.

Demonstrations against immigration are common in Dover, as it is the location where migrants picked up from small boats in the English Channel are brought to shore.

They are typically advertised in advance, however, and Saturday’s protest was on a larger scale.