POLICE were called after around 250 people associated with a far right group gathered for a meeting at a hotel.

Officers attended the hotel in south Cumbria where Patriotic Alternative held its national conference.

Several anti-racist campaigners contacted The Villa in Levens, which hosted the event on Saturday, with their concerns.

Bosses from the hotel said they were 'misled' over the nature of the event and stopped it from continuing.

The deputy leader of the far right group said the conference involved speeches, refreshments and networking.

A police spokesman said: "Cumbria Police attended the venue as a proactive, preventive measure to prevent any breach of the peace following information an event had been cancelled and after concerns raised from members of the community.

"However, no offences occurred and no arrests took place."

Allan Jones, a spokesperson for anti-far right research group Red Flare, said: "The Villa Levens have serious questions to answer about their role in hosting a fascist conference.

"PA is a fast-growing fascist party, led by neo-Nazi Mark Collett and with close ties to the proscribed neo-Nazi group National Action. PA's conferences provide a safe space for 'Internet Nazis' to network and organise their vile racist campaigns, which is why we exposed the conference venue and the event needed to be shut down."

Mr Collett appeared on a Channel 4 documentary entitled Young, Nazi and Proud and wrote a book in which he described Hitler's Nuremberg rallies as 'something that one would have been proud to be a part of'.

Bosses from the hotel said they were 'misled' over the event and cancelled it.

The Mail attempted to contact The Villa yesterday.

A statement on the hotel's social media said: "Following recent reports and allegations, we would like to clarify that The Villa Levens does not support or is in anyway associated with the Patriotic Alternative group.

"The hotel was led to believe that the purpose of the event was for other reasons.

"The hotel immediately intervened and contacted the police to stop this event from continuing and worked with them to bring it to a closure."

But Patriotic Alternative's deputy leader, Laura Towler, said the conference 'went ahead as planned' and the group left later that day.

"The police were called and they guarded the venue in case any trouble occurred," she said.

Ms Towler refused to say when asked by The Mail whether PA misled the hotel when making the booking.

A spokesperson for Anti Racist Cumbria said it became aware of plans to stage the event in the county on Friday night and 'mobilised behind the scenes'.

"These groups view our wonderful county as an easy target for their divisive rhetoric," they said.

"We stand firm together against them.

"Cumbria is not a playground for extreme views. Anti Racist Cumbria is the antithesis of everything these groups stand for. We are not anti-White. We are pro-Cumbria. A Cumbria where anyone who lives, works and visits can do so without prejudice and racism."