Immigration officers were pelted with eggs by Muslim youths, had 16 tyres slashed on their vans and an unmarked car was keyed during an immigration raid on Wednesday. Reports suggest locals in Shadwell – a majority Muslim area of east London – then refused to assist officers or sell them new tyres.

Witness Nur Choudhury wrote on Facebook: “Immigration Enforcement officers in Shadwell. Their tyres got slashed, valves taken and cars scratched. The local garage refused to sell them tyres or help them. To top it all off they got egged from the local tower block and a few landed direct on their heads. Welcome to Shadwell :)”

More that a dozen immigration officers arrived in Shadwell on Wednesday looking for three suspected illegal Bangladeshi workers. They returned to find their vans badly vandalized.

Media stunted immigration raid in Shadwell ends with 2 arrests and at least 16 new tyres for @ukhomeoffice pic.twitter.com/IA5SIoSzSG — Abu Amaanah (@AbuAmaanah) July 22, 2015

And now the police have turned up. I don’t think they’re here to clean up the mess or damage to the vehicles pic.twitter.com/I7aG5unLqY — Abu Amaanah (@AbuAmaanah) July 22, 2015

Multiple sources online and across social media claim locals then refused to cooperate with officers and Bigland Tyres, which is opposite where the vans were parked, refused to sell the officials new tyres. However the garage has since denied this, claiming they didn’t have the correct sized tyres.

A witness told The Daily Mail: “I saw about five or six youths come out of nowhere and run towards the immigration vans. They had kitchen knives in their hands and they slashed the tyres and scratched the bodywork.

“It all happened very quickly, then they ran off. I think they were local Muslim hoodies just doing a prank, but it’s not funny. It’s the sort of thing that will cause this area problems now.”

A Scotland Yard spokesman said no arrests had been made but “inquiries are ongoing.” A Home Office spokesman added: “We will not tolerate abuse or criminal damage. Offences will be reported to the police.”

“Reports of a dozen tyres of the #racistvan being let down in Shadwell on Wednesday & eggs being thrown at them,” tweeted the organization Anti Raids Network, an left-wing anarchist pressure group which helps orchestrate and organize what they call “direct action.”

Wednesday’s incident follows a very similar pattern to that seen during a raid in Walworth in the east London district of Southwark on the 21stJune. The Anti Raids Network proudly relayed their full account of that afternoon’s event’s on their blog: