Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a bail hostel in Aldridge this afternoon to demand its immediate closure amid allegations a young girl was assaulted by one of its residents.

Around 200 people waving banners congregated at the front of the Stonnall Road hostel from noon.

They are protesting about the type of offenders it houses.

The facility has attracted scores of complaints since it first opened in the late 1980s but the pressure has intensified since the alleged sexual assault last month.

A parent of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was among those demonstrating at the hostel.

Other protesters included Philip Derry, aged 44, from Friezland Lane, Brownhills.

He said: “I have friends who live close by and I thought I would join them today because I feel strongly about it.”

His wife Judy, aged 47, added: “The hostel is just in the wrong location. It is in a residential area where there are lots of families.”

Residents are also petitioning Prime Minister Gordon Brown to shut the facility. Hundreds of people have already added their names to the petition on the official number 10 website at http://petitions.number10. gov.uk/Aldridge/website.

The Probation Service has confirmed a hostel resident was arrested by police on August 28 on suspicion of sexual assault. He was recalled to prison.