How asylum protests brought disorder to Thetford

At the nearby St John’s Way estate, the houses are arranged in circular terraced blocks with large courtyards.

On the corner of one is a house that protesters believe was home to five asylum seekers.

According to Norfolk Police, there were reports that a group of people, who did not live at the address, were “attempting to get inside and smashed a window, and damaged a fence panel and letterbox”.

“A resident of the same property reported a group of between 30 and 50 people trying to get into the house,” the force added.

Eyewitnesses described police drones buzzing in the area.

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A crowd of about 100 people were gathered outside, said neighbour Chelsea Goodwin, but she said she did not see any disorder.

Her objection to the arrivals is that “you don’t know who they are”.

“I don’t feel safe having undocumented illegal immigrants here,” she said.

“If it was a family with kids and they were trying to get away from some war-torn country, then that’s fine,” the mother-of-two added.

“But it’s a just group of middle-aged men.”

Her perception, which we heard from numerous locals, was that women and children were not safe because of “cultural differences”.

She did not specify which culture she had concerns about.

The property is now empty, with locals reporting that the occupants were escorted out by the police.

Once again, the BBC was unable to confirm who these individuals were – or where they came from.