'Very visible police presence' on streets of Leeds after mass riot erupts with vehicles overturned and set on fire

A large number of police officers have been deployed to the Harehills area of Leeds, where riots broke out earlier on Thursday.

West Yorkshire Police said it was dealing with a serious disorder incident by deploying appropriate specialist public order resources after a double-decker was set on fire and a police vehicle was overturned.

“We want to make it very clear that the full weight of the law will be brought against those responsible.”

No one has been reported injured so far, police said, adding they believe the disorder was “instigated by a criminal minority intent on disrupting community relations”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she had been left “appalled” by the scenes of unrest, amid what officers described as “pockets of disorder”, with councillor Salma Arif asking people to stay at home.

Livestream footage on social media appeared to show vehicles on fire, including a bus.

At 5pm in Luxor Street, officers responded to a “disturbance” which involved agency workers and “some children”.

The police said crowds began to gather and a decision was taken to remove both the agency workers and the children “to a safe place”.

However, the situation escalated into the later seen riot.

The owner of a restaurant in Harehills said the disorder was linked to local children being taken into care, adding that some people responded by setting fires and “throwing stones”.

Images showed one fire being lit in the middle of a street as crowds of hundreds of people gathered.

Barriers have been set up along the street where the disorder seems centred.

Videos on social media show what appeared to be a police drone in the air.

Other footage on social media shows a number of people trying to set fire to a bus.

Later on, towards 10pm, riot police could be seen arriving as the crowd began to disperse in places

Speaking at about midnight from the scene of the unrest, Sky News’ north of England correspondent Shingi Mararike said the lack of police officers was “noticeable”.

“There’s not an obvious police presence in and amongst the midst of it,” he said.

“They have quite clearly taken that approach in which they are not directly going into the mass of people here.”

Police had earlier on been seen leaving the scene, but it is understood they were gathering reinforcements.

Mararike described the astonishing scene of a local resident apparently trying to extinguish the flames of the bus with a fire extinguisher.

“That quite clearly hasn’t really worked as you can still see the flames.”

In his latest update, Mararike said there was now a “very visible police presence”, while crowds looked like they were starting to disperse.

Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin thanked the emergency services in a social media post, adding: “I’m reassured no one has been seriously injured but suggest those who are using this to inflame community tensions to think again.”

Local MP Richard Burgon said: “I am on my way back to Leeds from parliament and am in touch with the police and concerned residents about the ongoing incident in Harehills.

“The police say no injuries have been reported but are advising people to avoid the area at the moment if possible.”

A spokesperson for First Bus in Leeds said: “Two of our vehicles have been caught up in the public disorder in the Harehills area of Leeds this evening.

“A team from our depot was quickly at the scene to provide support to our drivers and customers.

“We can confirm that both drivers are unhurt and we have no reports of injuries to passengers.

“One of our vehicles has been set on fire but was empty as the customers had earlier been transferred to another bus together with the driver.

“All services are being diverted from this area of Harehills for the safety of our staff and customers. We will follow the advice of the police in deciding when normal routes will resume and update customers as soon as we can.”