Police injured and arrests made during anti-immigration clashes in Thetford

Significant police resources were mobilised in Thetford after a large anti-immigration demonstration on Clover Way turned violent, leaving a male officer hit by a rock and a female officer seriously bitten. The disturbance followed earlier turmoil on Tuesday, when windows were smashed, fences broken and attempts were made to force entry into a residence on St John's Way, Bracken Road and Elm Road. Authorities arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of a public-order offence, later releasing him with a conditional caution; two further arrests were made early Thursday, with a man in his 40s still detained and a 68-year-old charged for carrying a wooden bat.

Assistant chief constable Julie Dean warned that violence toward the public, residents or officers would not be tolerated and promised “robust action”. Labour MP Terry Jermy described the scenes as “ugly” and urged the Home Office to end secrecy around plans to house asylum seekers in former military sites such as RAF Barnham near Thetford.