Police have defended their handling of a protest involving a group of masked men that brought the Port of Dover to a standstill for several hours on Saturday.

After hundreds of protesters dressed in black blocked roads and chanted 'stop the boats', local MP Mike Tapp said questions needed to be asked why it appeared the police "didn't know" about the demonstration beforehand.

Kent Police Assistant Chief Constable Nigel Brookes said the force would "examine the intelligence process".

He added: "It is important to note that we do not as a matter of course monitor peaceful protestors, and their political viewpoints are not taken into consideration."

Police made no arrests at the protest, and had previously described it as "spontaneous".

They said the incident had developed "rapidly" but said by midday, everyone involved had dispersed and access to the port was restored to normal.

Brookes added: "We will always support people's right to peaceful protest, and we will always seek to police proportionately, fairly, and reasonably.

"We do not take account of why people are protesting, or the rights, wrongs, or reasonableness of that as that is not a matter for the police."

Tapp said the incident, which started at about 07:00 BST, caused "absolutely awful disruption" for residents.

He added: "In this instance, it would appear that the police didn't know about it, and the resources were pretty thin on the ground, to be quite honest, from what I saw."

Anti-hate organisation Hope Not Hate claimed the Patriot Platform network arranged it, saying the group began meeting in July and had brought together members of anti-migrant groups from around the country.

The demonstrators told the BBC on Saturday they did not want to talk to the media, although one said "send them back" and another said "stop the boats" when approached.

Brookes said that the only offence the force was investigating was criminal damage to a road.

Demonstrations against immigration are common in Dover, as it is the location where migrants picked up from small boats in the English Channel are brought to shore.

They are typically advertised in advance, however, and Saturday's protest was on a larger scale.

Brookes said that there had been "some discussion" about the protesters wearing face coverings, adding: "To do so is not, in itself, sufficient to establish a criminal offence."

He said: "Moving forward, we will seek to identify and engage with those who attended to understand their future plans in a bid to support their rights to peaceful protest and balance them with the needs of the local community, who we remain steadfast in supporting and protecting."

Matthew Scott, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent, added: "I have remained in close contact with the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable about the protest that took place in Dover.

"To the residents and businesses of Dover, I am sorry that you have again been subject to disruption.

"Whilst I do respect the right to peaceful protest, I do condemn the intimidating tactics used by those gathered.

"Kent Police is debriefing Saturday's incident and I will closely monitor this."

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