Asylum seekers staying at a barracks, which last night was in flames and saw a disturbance which led to five arrests, have spoken of their "sadness and sorrow" for what happened.

It follows weeks of unrest at Napier Barracks in Folkestone, and reports of a number of positive Covid cases among those staying there.

A number of asylum seekers were taken to nearby hotels to ease the situation, but many who remained still feared they were not Covid-secure.

A letter from the asylum seekers, referencing last night's events, which left a building gutted by fire and an arson investigation launched, has been published by the Kent Refugee Action Network.

It reads: "As one of the residents in Napier Barracks and on behalf of so many friends here, I want to express my sadness and sorrow for what had happened yesterday.

"It was horrible to see a building burning, see the fear in everyone's eyes and to see the staff in difficulty and pain.

"We want to say how sorry and disappointed we are, that this incident affected people. Especially firefighters, police, etc."

It said they felt the conditions they were living in were "unsafe" and had "affected all the residents physically and mentally". They felt their protests, hunger strikes and suicide attempts were being ignored by the Home Office.

It continued: "This incident was not something that we all wanted to happen. People respond to anger differently. Each of us react in our own unique way when we are desperate and disappointed. Some may protest peacefully, some refuse to eat, some commit suicide and when you are even more ignored some may lose control.

"I want you all to know that this was not something that we all can approve. The majority of us are against violence as we escaped it.

"Words cannot express our shame and sadness, our solidarity with the ones who are affected by it.

"I also want to ask the Home Office and other authorities to take action against violence and also make sure that Napier Barracks will be closed as it is no longer safe and secure.

"It is mandatory to see the people in camps as human beings and desperate people. We are all the same, thus we all express our emotions differently when we are under pressure."

The letter, signed by "Asylum seekers of Napier Barracks" finished by thanking the emergency services who attended yesterday.

In recent weeks, many of the service users have taken to sleeping outside and going on hunger strike to demonstrate against the reportedly cramped and unhygienic living conditions.

In addition, Covid-19 has spread through the barracks and it is claimed more than 100 people have tested positive for the virus. There have been calls for the barracks to close.

Five men were arrested following the disturbance at the barracks yesterday.

A 31-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a security guard yesterday evening, and has been taken into custody as inquiries continue.

This morning, a further four men were arrested in connection with the incident and taken into custody.

A Home Office spokeswoman said the disturbance started when "a number of asylum seekers who remained at Napier objected to not being moved off site".

Read more: All the latest news from Folkestone