Scenes of violence, rioting and looting have spread across London and cities across Britain in the past three days.
As well as scenes of trouble across several London boroughs, looting and rioting was experienced as far afield as Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and Nottingham.
Merseyside Police said there were “a number of isolated outbreaks of disorder”, including burning cars and criminal damage, in the south Liverpool area.
West Midlands Police said around 100 arrests were made after rioters rampaged across Birmingham city centre and some surrounding areas.
Hundreds of youths gathered in the city’s main retail area close to the Bullring shopping mall, which closed its doors early in anticipation of violence, while there were reports that a police station in Handsworth was set on fire.
A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said staff were called to 34 incidents in Birmingham last night with crews tending to 28 patients, of whom 13 went to hospitals across the city.
More than 150 young rioters also caused disruption in the areas of St Paul’s and Stokes Croft in Bristol, with police urging the public to stay away from the city centre.
And in Leeds, there were “small pockets of disorder” in the Chapeltown area after a 34-year-old local man was seriously injured in a shooting, according to West Yorkshire Police.
In Reading, Berkshire, a small group of youths with their faces covered were tackled by Thames Valley Police who also dealt with an arson attack on a McDonald’s restaurant in Headington, Oxford.
Kent Police said 10 men had been arrested in Medway following incidents of vandalism in Chatham, Rainham and Gillingham. A group of around 15 young men, who are believed to have travelled to the area by train, caused damage by setting several fires across the Medway towns.
Across London, some of the worst affected areas were Croydon, Peckham, Ealing and Clapham.
In Hackney, between 250 and 300 people gathered on the Pembury Estate, torching cars and hurling petrol bombs at riot police. Scores of local businesses in Mare Street were broken into and looted during the afternoon by the troublemakers - many wearing hoods and masks.
Three officers were injured, but not seriously, as missiles were hurled at police lines.
In Peckham, 500 youths gathered in Peckham High Street, vandalising shops, lighting fires and targeting officers with missiles. Teams of riot police were seen charging at fleeing rioters after a major fire was started at a shop adjoining a Greggs bakery.
A Tesco Metro in East Dulwich Road near Peckham was gutted by a hooded gang last night.
Croydon, in south London, also witnessed ugly scenes, with a string of cars and buildings set alight by gangs of youths. A man was injured in a shooting, while Reeves, a family furniture business that has stood in the area for more than 100 years, was gutted in a massive blaze.
In Ealing, west London, locals reported similar scenes of violence with groups of youths congregating in Haven Green park opposite Ealing Broadway Tube, throwing bricks at local shops, starting fires in the street and torching cars.
In Clapham, youths raided a Debenhams store and a number of shops in Lavender Hill, while some broke into a fancy dress store near Clapham Junction, stealing masks to conceal their identities.
Scotland Yard said armoured police vehicles were used in Lavender Hill to push back more than 150 people in the area.
In Bethnal Green, more than 100 people looted a Tesco premises and two officers were injured.
Police said there had also been looting in Stratford High Street, Newham.
Roaming groups of youths were also involved in disorder in a number of locations in Lewisham, the Metropolitan Police said.
A number of officers were also called to Camden in north London to deal with troublemakers.
In Enfield, around 40 firefighters tackled a large blaze, reported to have been started by looters, at a Sony warehouse in Solar Way.