Asylum seeker at targeted Holiday Inn ‘thought he would die’

The teenager had been separated from his family by smugglers and arrived in the UK a month ago.

He spoke to the BBC on the phone, in a call arranged through a volunteer at a local charity.

Drone footage has emerged that was filmed by a local resident and given exclusively to the BBC.

The scenes followed other clashes in UK towns and cities in the wake of the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport a week ago.

Riots have been fuelled in part by false claims the suspect was Muslim and a refugee.

Tamworth’s Holiday Inn Express had been used “for years” to accommodate asylum seekers, the local MP said in July.

IHG, the owner of the Holiday Inn brand, said its priority was “the safety and security of our guests and colleagues”.