Colchester Borough Council has warned the number of migrants being moved to the Essex town was putting pressure on already stretched services.

Council leader David King said: “Colchester is proud to be a place of sanctuary. We have a long history of welcoming refugees and asylum seekers to our city-to-be.

“Again and again, we have proven that in times of crisis, Colchester is there to support families fleeing war and persecution.

“But I am angry at the Home Office’s failings and that we face new arrivals when others do not, when many of our partner authorities across the UK are not called upon to do their bit.

“And when Colchester already has the highest number of Ukrainian refugees in the county, has the highest number of asylum seekers in dispersed accommodation in the region too.

“And has housed the largest number of refugee families in Essex.

“We understand the pressures of the asylum system and that they use hotels as a short-term solution; but we get no advance warning from the Home Office when asylum seekers are placed in hotel accommodation, and we should, and need to, get adequate time for planning to make sure the much-needed wrap-around support is in place for these families.”

He called on the Home Office to give all councils “sufficient notice” and “better consult” with them before sending migrants to hotels.

Earlier this week there were reports that two people had climbed on to the roof of the Holiday Inn Express in Colchester – which was said to be housing asylum seekers.

Essex Police said officers were called to the hotel at about 2.30pm on Wednesday amid concerns for the safety of the people involved, adding: “The situation was resolved quickly with the people on the roof coming down.”

Mr King’s comments come as Ipswich Borough Council is challenging the Home Office's use of the Novotel in the town to house asylum seekers.

Jade Chalmers, partner at Howard Kennedy, the law firm representing Fairview Hotels (Ipswich) Ltd on this matter, said: “The Government has a statutory duty to accommodate asylum seekers. The UK Government has asked our client to assist in discharging this statutory duty by accommodating asylum seekers at its hotel. 

"Local government in the form of  Ipswich Borough Council has taken the draconian step of seeking an injunction against our client, rather than resolving its concerns directly with central Government.

"This matter is now with the Courts and our client will do everything it can to cooperate in that process.”