Large numbers of police have been deployed to the Harehills area of Leeds, where riots broke out earlier on Thursday.
West Yorkshire Police said they were dealing with a serious incident of disorder and deploying appropriate specialist public order resources after a double-decker bus was set alight and a police vehicle was overturned.
“We want to make it very clear that the full force of the law will be applied against those responsible.”
No injuries have been reported so far, police said, adding that they believed the disturbances were “instigated by a criminal minority keen to disrupt community relations”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “appalled” by the scenes of unrest, amid what police described as “pockets of disorder”, with councillor Salma Arif urging people to stay at home.
Footage broadcast live on social media appears to show vehicles on fire, including a bus.
A police car was overturned during the unrest. Photo: Snapchat/Kardo
Police rush to the scene of the incident
The bus on fire. Photo: Yapp App
At 5 p.m., on Luxor Street, police responded to a “disturbance” involving temporary workers and “some children.”
Police said the crowd began to gather and a decision was made to take the agency workers and children “to a safe place.”
However, the situation escalated into the riot we saw later.
The owner of a restaurant in Harehills said the disturbance was linked to local children being taken into care, adding that some people had responded by lighting fires and “throwing stones”.
Footage showed a fire being lit in the middle of a street as crowds of hundreds of people gathered.
A fire was started during the unrest. Photo: Snapchat/Kardo
Barriers have been installed along the street where the disorder appears to be concentrated.
Videos on social media show what appears to be a police drone in the air.
Other images on social media show several people trying to set fire to a bus.
Later, around 10pm, riot police could be seen arriving as the crowd began to disperse in places.
The underside of the overturned police car. Photo: Snapchat/Kardo
Speaking around midnight from the scene of the unrest, Sky News correspondent in the north of England Shingi Mararike said the lack of police was “noticeable”.
“There is no obvious police presence in the middle of all this,” he said.
“They have clearly taken an approach of not speaking directly to the mass of people here.”
Police were earlier seen leaving the scene, but are now understood to be gathering reinforcements.
Mararike described the astonishing scene of a local resident apparently trying to put out the flames on the bus with a fire extinguisher.
“It clearly didn’t really work because you can still see the flames.”
In his latest update, Mararike said there was now a “very visible police presence” while the crowd appeared to be starting to disperse.
Photo: Yapp application
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Police deal with ongoing disturbances in Leeds
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin thanked the emergency services in a social media post, adding: “I am reassured no one was seriously injured but I would suggest that those using this to stir up community tensions think twice.”
Local MP Richard Burgon said: “I am on my way to Leeds from Parliament and have been in contact with police and concerned residents about the ongoing incident in Harehills.
“Police say no injuries have been reported but are advising people to avoid the area for the time being if possible.”
A spokesperson for First Bus in Leeds said: “Two of our vehicles were caught up in public disturbances in the Harehills area of Leeds this evening.
“A team from our depot quickly went on site to provide support to our drivers and customers.
“We can confirm that both drivers are unharmed and we have no reports of injuries to passengers.
“One of our vehicles was set on fire but it was empty because the customers had been transferred earlier to another bus with the driver.
“All services are being diverted from this area of Harehills for the safety of our staff and customers. We will follow police advice to decide when normal routes will resume and will inform customers as soon as possible.”
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