ORGANISERS of a public debate in Malvern about migration have been in touch with police after receiving emails described as anti-Muslim and anti-immigration.

The debate has been organised by the Lansdowne Crescent Methodist Church and features leading national figures in the field of migration.

But after the event was announced on the website eventbrite.co.uk, organisers got several emails containing negative sentiments about immigration.

Barry Jones, one of the organisers, said: "We were definitely not expecting this kind of response. I wouldn't say they were threatening, but they express anti-Muslim and anti-immigration sentiments.

"I had to take the emails to the church committee and they decided that the police would have to be made aware of them."

The event, on Saturday, October 22, features Don Flynn, director of the National Migrants Rights Network in London, Shari Brown, director of Birmingham-based Restore, Sarah Soyei, director of EquliTeach and Philile Mbatha, a dentist from South Africa who now lives and works in Worcestershire. It will be chaired by the Venerable Robert Jones, Archdeacon of Worcester.

Mr Jones said: "Immigration is the number one topic in many countries including the UK. We do have to ask serious questions about benefits, concerns and anxieties as well as issues of nationhood and the roles of civic societies and faith communities.”

The debate is the latest in a series organised by the church; previous topics have included the NHS, food banks and the EU referendum.

Mr Jones said: "The debates give people a chance to talk about subjects which are often raised by politicians, but in a non-political; context. We look on it as a way to engage Malvern. Churches are at the forefront of cultivating good interfaith relations.”

He said that previous debates had attracted audiences of up to 120, and he expected this one to draw a similar amount of interest.

The debate will be held from 7.45pm to 9.30pm, and free tickets are available from eventbrite.co.uk.