The BBC obtains emails showing how a council responded to the incident behind the scenes.
Council chiefs considered evacuating houses as they feared anti-asylum seeker protests were spiralling out of control, emails seen by the BBC reveal.
One senior member of Epping Forest District Council warned the Home Office that tensions had risen "beyond what is manageable" in July.
Demonstrations were being staged outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, after a migrant living there was arrested and later jailed for sexual offences.
A council spokeswoman told the BBC that staff were worried about neighbouring properties and "had to think very quickly" about issues and challenges "we had never faced before".
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