AN INFORMATION session will be held for residents after six arrests and a “concerning escalation of behaviour” by protestors outside a hotel which is set to house asylum seeker families.

Protestors have been demonstrating outside the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli after plans were announced to house 241 asylum seekers at the hotel while their claims are processed by the Home Office.

It was previously announced that 95 jobs – 50 full-time and 45 part-time – have been lost as a result of the proposals, and all booked events at the hotel, including weddings, were cancelled after July 10.

Dyfed-Powys Police has now appealed for “calm and co-operation” following “a concerning escalation of behaviour” by protestors outside the hotel this week.

One man was arrested on Monday, August 15 and charged after police were called to a report of criminal damage caused to a vehicle being used by a contractor employed by the hotel as he was driving away from the premises.

Overnight on Monday, Dyfed-Powys Police received reports of “a number of people” trespassed on to the hotel grounds and “conducted themselves in an intimidating manner”.

Five arrests were made on Tuesday in connection with further offences at the hotel.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said eight arrests have now been made outside the hotel since the protests began.

A Section 60AA order (Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994) has been put in place due to a number of people outside the hotel wearing balaclavas. This gives officers the power to order a person to remove any items the police believe are being worn to conceal their identity.

The order applies to the area of Stradey Park Hotel, Pentrepoeth Road and the B4309 running through Furnace.

“We will always seek to facilitate peaceful protest, while balancing it with the rights of others, keeping the public safe and preventing crime and disorder,” said a police spokesperson. “Where an offence is committed, we will take all reasonable and proportionate steps to bring offenders to justice.

“Dyfed-Powys Police would like to take this opportunity to thank those who have demonstrated peacefully over the past few weeks and urge anyone planning to join the protest to follow the example that has been set by local residents.”

A virtual online information session will be held on Tuesday, August 22 to address residents' concerns regarding the use of the hotel.

Representatives from the Home Office, their accommodation provider Clearsprings Ready Homes, Hywel Dda University Health Board, Carmarthenshire County Council, Dyfed-Powys Police and Migrant Help will address concerns from residents.

Questions for panel members can be submitted via email to infoevent@wlga.gov.uk by 9am on Monday, August 21.

There will not be an opportunity to ask further questions during the meeting, so all questions must be submitted in advance.

Questions will be rejected if they are defamatory, racist, frivolous, or offensive, and the panel members will not be able to comment on any ongoing court proceedings.

Members of the public will be able to join the session live via: bit.ly/45dNwKM. A recording be available after the session.

Dyfed-Powys Police have said that no families will be arriving at the hotel prior to this information session taking place.

If you are planning a protest, or have any information about the incidents that have taken place since Monday, you can contact Dyfed-Powys Police online via bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing 101@dyfed-powys.police.uk or by calling 101. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired, text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908.