Some councils say they are still pursuing legal action to stop asylum seekers from being housed in hotels in their areas, despite a Court of Appeal ruling.
The court on Friday overturned a temporary injunction which would have prevented asylum seekers from being housed at The Bell Hotel in Epping, seen as a possible precedent for legal challenges elsewhere.
Two councils told the BBC they would keep pursuing legal action. Epping Forest District Council, which obtained the injunction, said it was looking at options which included an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Reform UK said all 12 councils it controlled should explore legal options to stop asylum seekers being housed in local hotels.
More protests against hotels housing asylum seekers, as well as counter-demonstrations, took place in England and Scotland on Saturday.
The Met Police say five people were arrested at a protest near Heathrow Airport. Two anti-asylum groups marched to a Crowne Plaza hotel and some men in masks attempted to enter the building through the rear entrance, damaging security fences, the force said.
Demonstrations took place in locations including Warrington, Skegness, Barnwood in Gloucester and Portsmouth.
In Scotland, hundreds of pro and anti-immigration demonstrators gathered outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Falkirk.
Meanwhile, police said Section 35 dispersal order has been put in place in Epping, allowing officers to direct people to leave the area and not return if they suspect they may cause disorder.
Two men have been charged following a protest in Epping on Friday after the Court of Appeal ruling – one with assaulting an emergency worker and the other with failing to provide a specimen.
A third man arrested on suspicion of violent disorder remains in custody, Essex Police said on Saturday afternoon.
Getty ImagesThe Times reported that it understood at least 13 councils planned on pressing ahead with legal action, following Friday’s ruling.
Kemi Badenoch urged Conservative-run councils pursuing legal action to “keep going,” and said advice would be issued to all Conservative councillors following the ruling.
After the ruling, Border Security and Asylum Minister Dame Angela Eagle said the government would “stop using hotels, which aren’t a sustainable solution, by the end of this Parliament”.
She said the judgement on the legal challenge, which was brought by lawyers for the Home Office and The Bell Hotel, would allow the government to do so “in a planned and orderly fashion”.
On Satuday, the prime minister said that he would “not reward illegal entry” to the UK.
“If you cross the Channel unlawfully, you will be detained and sent back,” Sir Keir Starmer said in a post on X.
