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Essex Police arrested a man in his 30s earlier today on suspicion of vehicle interference and confirmed that he was the same individual spotted looking in the bins of Davenant Foundation School on Wednesday. Authorities previously said the man was an asylum seeker.

A spokesperson for the force specified that he was not arrested on Wednesday for being on school grounds, but for another outstanding offence linked to a failure to attend court. “We had no powers to remand him in custody for that particular allegation,” they added.  He was released on bail before being taken in for questioning on Thursday after allegedly “trying [car] door handles” in Waltham Abbey.

While Leverton Primary School told the Express it had implemented temporary lockdown procedures as a precaution, police said suggestions that he had tried to gain access to schools in the Waltham Abbey area were “untrue”.

“We all want the same things – safe communities for our children and for them to have a good education,” a statement read. “Please help us by reporting things to use that are worrying you and checking our channels for trusted and verified information.”

Protesters appear to have gathered outside Loughton Police Station for the second day running after a man was arrested on suspicion of interfering with parked vehicles the day after he was spotted looking through bins at a local school.

Social media posts show people decked out in England flags standing outside the station, where the man in question, who police previously said was an asylum seeker, is being held in custody.

Daily Express reporter Lotti O’Brien was on the ground in Essex as a school went into lockdown this afternoon, amid a police manhunt for an asylum seeker spotted on the grounds of a separate establishment earlier this week.

“No parent should have to stand at the school gates fearing for their child’s safety,” she writes.

“And no child should be sitting in a classroom wondering why they’re being picked up early under police supervision.”

Police arrested an asylum seeker who was sleeping rough at Davenant School in Loughton on Wednesday after he was spotted looking in the bins for food on school grounds.

The force said he presented “no threat or suggestion of threat” and was taken into custody for the separate matter of failing to attend court following a public order offence.

He was released on bail before being arrested again in Waltham Abbey on Thursday on suspicion of “vehicle interference”.

Police said there had been no other reports of the suspect trying to access school property, but Leverton Primary School confirmed to the Express that it had entered lockdown measures at around midday, with parents picking up their children early.

Essex Police has arrested a man on suspicion of “vehicle interference” hours after he was seen looking in bins on the grounds of a school in the county, it has been confirmed.

The force said: “We’ve made an arrest after reports of a man trying car doors in Waltham Abbey. [He is] in custody on suspicion of vehicle interference. [There was] one report of him on a Loughton school field on September 17, looking in bins. No other school-related incidents [have been] reported, despite inaccurate claims.”

Essex Police has just confirmed that a man has been arrested in Waltham Abbey after he was spotted sleeping rough and interfering with parked vehicles in the town.

More details are expected to be released shortly.

Essex Police said: “We are aware of concerns circulating on social media suggesting a man acting suspiciously on the grounds of schools in Waltham Abbey.

“Some commentary is also suggesting a man had attempted to gain access to schools in the area.

“The above claims are untrue.

“No individuals have improperly accessed or attempted to access schools in Waltham Abbey on Thursday 18 September.

“Residents will have noticed an increased policing presence in the area.

“This is because we have received reports of a man sleeping rough and interfering with parked vehicles in Waltham Abbey, and officers have been deployed to find this person.

“No offences, threats or issues relating to school property, staff or pupils have been reported.

“Officers have been in consistent contact with schools throughout Thursday 18 September to offer reassurance.

“It is important to repeat that no threat or suggestion of harm, either physical or otherwise, has been reported against any members of the public, or members of any school communities in Waltham Abbey in relation to this suspect.

“We do understand that communities have fears and concerns but we ask them to contact us and we can allay those.

“Turning to an incident involving the same suspect – who is a rough sleeper – accessing school grounds in Loughton on Wednesday 17 September.

“This has been subject to widespread and inaccurate comment, and further clarity is needed.

“This individual accessed an area of school playing field, where he was reported to be seen looking in the bins for food. That is the extent of his reported behaviour.

“Again, no threats and no suggestion of threats were reported, and the man immediately left when he was instructed to do so.

“Officers attended and arrested him because he had an outstanding matter outside of Essex and with another force, relating to failing to attend court over an alleged public order offence.

“We had no powers to remand him in custody for that particular allegation, and he was released on bail while enquiries continue.

“On each occasion relating to this suspect, we have swiftly attended, liaised with every person concerned, and worked to investigate any matter reported to us within the parameters of the law.

“We all want the same things – safe communities for our children and for them to have a good education.”

A police spokesperson added: “Officers have been in consistent contact with schools throughout Thursday 18 September to offer reassurance.

“It is important to repeat that no threat or suggestion of harm, either physical or otherwise, has been reported against any members of the public, or members of any school communities in Waltham Abbey in relation to this suspect.

“We do understand that communities have fears and concerns but we ask them to contact us and we can allay those.”

A spokesperson from Essex Police has confirmed: “We are aware of concerns circulating on social media suggesting a man acting suspiciously on the grounds of schools in Waltham Abbey.

“Some commentary is also suggesting a man had attempted to gain access to schools in the area.

“The above claims are untrue.

“No individuals have improperly accessed or attempted to access schools in Waltham Abbey on Thursday 18 September.

“Residents will have noticed an increased policing presence in the area.

“This is because we have received reports of a man sleeping rough and interfering with parked vehicles in Waltham Abbey, and officers have been deployed to find this person.

“No offences, threats or issues relating to school property, staff or pupils have been reported.

Essex Police have been contacted by the Express for information on the situation.

We will continue to keep you updated.

According to our reporter at the scene Lotti O’Brien, many parents have decided to take their children home early from Leverton Primary School.

Daily Express reporter Lotti O’Brien is at the scene in Waltham Abbey.

Here is her update as the police search for the migrant continues.

A man, who police confirmed is an asylum seeker, was arrested on Wednesday after  allegedly breaking into a school near Epping on Wednesday (September 17). Police were called to Davenant School, in Loughton, and arrested a man who failed to attend court.

The same man was then reportedly spotted near Leverton Primary School, in Waltham Abbey, on Thursday morning. The school was put into lockdown while some children were taken home by parents.

Police are searching a wooded area near the school. Some residents have also turned out to express their concern.

Drone footage taken by the Daily Express shows the area being searched by police in Waltham Abbey.

A local woman said: “I’m not a parent from this school. I’ve just come here to show support and show solidarity.”

She added: “The head teacher I believe from here called because it was alarming that she already knew of this man. The helicopter’s been up and they’re still looking for him.

“If you go down the road, there’s multiple police in the forest trying to find him. Why is he still going to the schools?”

The woman also said the head teacher of Leverton Primary School has been “asking for police presence for the last two weeks”. However, the force reportedly told her there isn’t enough resources available.

She continued: “It’s unacceptable and something’s got to stop.”

Concern is growing among people in Waltham Abbey this morning. Some children have reportedly been taken home from Leverton Primary School as a precaution.

One man said: “At a bare minimum, I think the police should be outside these schools in the local areas, especially where there’s these hotels.

“Who’s doing the safeguarding regarding these hotels? Who thinks it’s such a bright idea to drop 100, 200 or X amount of unidentified men into an areas where there’s all these primary schools and secondary schools?”

Drone pictures taken by the Daily Express show the area police are searching for the man in Waltham Abbey on Thursday.

Over 1,500 schools across the UK are within walking distance of a migrant hotel, according to a new report by The Women’s Safety Initiative (WSI).

A study shows that 1,539 schools sit within a 20-minute walk of asylum accommodations while 393 are within just 10 minutes.

Jess Gill, Founder and Director of the WSI, said: “They tell us about men loitering outside schools, filming children, and creating an atmosphere of fear.

“This fear is not unjustified: the crime figures linked to migrant hotels are shocking, with hundreds of serious offences committed by migrants housed in taxpayer-funded hotels, including rape and sexual assault.”

Davenant Foundation School, where the man was spotted and arrested on Wednesday, is located around 4.5 miles (a 12 minute drive) from Leverton Primary School in Waltham Abbey.

A picture shared on Facebook shows the man who has been spotted near the schools in Essex.

The man was spotted on a school field near Epping yesterday. He was reportedly spotted near a second school on Thursday morning and a manhunt has been launched.

A spokesperson for Davenant Foundation School confirmed yesterday: “This morning our site team spotted a man on the school field. They intercepted him and he was escorted off the premises immediately.

“He had no other interaction with any other staff or students. The police were notified and attended the school site.”

A man, who police confirmed was an “asylum seeker who sleeps rough outside of Essex”, was arrested on Wednesday morning after allegedly breaking into a school near Epping on Wednesday (September 17).

Police were called to Davenant School, in Loughton, and arrested a man who failed to attend court.

The force said he arrest had no relation to The Bell Hotel where furious protests against the housing of asylum seekers erupted this summer.

The same man was reportedly spotted near Leverton primary School, in Waltham Abbey, on Thursday morning.

A person told the Daily Express that the man was spotted “hanging around in the bushes next to” the school this morning.

A resident wrote on the Waltham Abbey Community Facebook page shortly before 9am: “The migrant that entered the school in Loughton yesterday was found this morning sleeping in a garden in Waltham Abbey!! Please keep your kids safe.”

Parents of Leverton Primary School claim the suspect at large wandered into the back area of the school having been released on bail 24 hours earlier.

Parents outside Leverton Primary School have told Express reporter Lotti O’Brien other schools in the Waltham Abbey area have entered similar lockdown measures.