Police called to disperse groups near mosque

West Midlands Police were called at about 20:00 BST on Sunday after groups were seen on and near Hermitage Road

Police said they had to disperse a “large gathering involving two groups” in Solihull on Sunday evening.

West Midlands Police said they were called to Hermitage Road at about 20:00 BST after receiving several calls from the public.

The gathering followed an anti-immigration protest in Solihull town centre earlier in the day.

A councillor who was at the scene told the BBC that hundreds of people had turned up to protect The Hub, a mosque on Hermitage Road, as they were concerned about a possible attack.

Riots and anti-immigration protests have emerged in several parts of the UK after the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport a week ago - fuelled in part by false claims that the suspect was Muslim and a refugee.

West Midlands Police said there was no clash between the two groups on Hermitage Road on Sunday, as they were kept at a distance.

The force added that they were investigating if one of the groups was connected to the protest that had taken place earlier in the day, which had passed without incident.

'Wider concerns'

Ade Adeyemo, a Liberal Democrat councillor who was at the scene on Hermitage Road, said some people were shouting and chanting but this was calmed down quickly by the police and mosque leaders.

“It was done with the right intention but it wasn’t helpful,” Mr Adeyemo said of the people who had come to defend the mosque.

“People read things online, [they think] things are kicking off, and then people just turn up.”

Mr Adeyemo added that while Sunday’s gathering was dispersed calmly, there were still "wider concerns" about preventing future unrest in Solihull, "because this is happening around the country and it doesn’t take much for these things to get out of hand.”

The Hub has been contacted for comment.