Police van TORCHED as protest over migrants being housed in hotels spirals out of control in Liverpool

A POLICE van has been torched during a protest in Liverpool over migrants being housed in hotels.

Footage shared on social media shows hundreds of people gathered outside the Suites Hotel in Knowsley.

The hotel is being used to house migrants.

Staff from refugee charity Care4Calais said they became trapped in a car park.

They described the protest as "out of control".

Police said they were "facilitating an initially peaceful protest" and a group who opposed them at about 6.30pm on Ribblers Lane.

Scenes then turned ugly, however, as missiles were thrown towards officers and a police van was set on fire.

Cops have arrested three people on suspicion of violent disorder and taken to police stations to be questioned.

Drivers have been advised to avoid the area as road closures remain in place.

No injuries have been reported.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul White of Merseyside Police said: “We will always respect the right to protest when these are peaceful, but the scenes tonight were completely unacceptable, putting those present, our officers and the wider community in danger.

"Thankfully we have not had any serious injuries reported up to this point, but for officers and police vehicles to be damaged in the course of their duty protecting the public is disgraceful.

“We have arrested some of those suspects and will continue without hesitation to review all and any evidence which comes in, through CCTV, images or other information you may have.

“I would also like to strongly remind not to post comments, footage or information on our channels but instead to pass it directly to officers via our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook with reference 1149. We will act swiftly upon all information given to identify any further offences and put those involved before the courts.”