10 Aug 2011

Riots hit English cities

Cities across England, including Manchester and Birmingham, are beginning the clean-up after violence erupted overnight. London remained calm as police flooded the streets.

Riots hit English cities (Reuters)

There were ugly scenes of rioting, looting and violence in Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Liverpool, Salford, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Bristol and Gloucester last night.

In Manchester and Salford, more than 100 people were arrested after city centre clashes between rioters and police, and in Nottingham a police station was firebombed.

In Birmingham, a murder investigation has been launched after three men were killed when they were hit by a car. West Midlands Police said it was not yet clear whether the deaths were linked to the riots. Crews of paramedics found around 80 people at the scene of the accident when they arrived, and one man has been arrested.

Read more from Channel 4 News: Britain in the grip of riots - but why? 

Calmer in London

In London – where the rioting began on Saturday, in Tottenham – it was much calmer after 16,000 police took to the streets. Many businesses and shops shut down early to avoid trouble. In some areas, local residents also took to the streets to defend their homes and areas.

Officers arrested 81 people overnight, bringing the total numbers detained over the riots in the capital up to 768. Of these, 168 have been charged.

One of the arrests overnight in London was a 21-year-old man held in connection with the large fire which destroyed a furniture store in Croydon on Monday.

A total of 111 Met Police officers and five police dogs have been injured in the violence in London, which was initially sparked after police shot dead Mark Duggan, 29, on Thursday last week.

Prime Minister David Cameron will today chair another meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee to discuss the continuing unrest that has devastated communities.

Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said criminals had “brought shame in particular on the streets of Salford and Manchester”.