Around 1,500 officers provided security as 2,000 EDL members descended on the town, while 1,000 Unite Against Fascism counter-protesters also attended.

It was Luton’s largest ever policing operation, and initially Bedfordshire Police said the security arrangements would cost up to £1m. But Luton on Sunday can reveal the eventual sum totalled £1,916,288.

The Home Office has agreed to reimburse the force for the full expenditure.

Peter Conniff, chairman of Bedfordshire Police Authority, said: “When we first talked about how much it would cost we were only estimating. We didn’t realise how much extra help we would need. I think we had 28 other police forces send us help and we had to pay them for that.

“The other big expense was having to pay for horses from other forces. They are hugely expensive, so that put up the cost.

We needed to keep the town safe and it was one of the most successful police operations we’ve had.”