Bonfires continue to burn in the streets of Leeds this morning after rioters set the city ablaze, even torching a double decker bus and overturning a police car.
Police are battling ‘serious disorder incident’ in the northern city as a few hundred rioters, some wearing masks, continue to wreck havoc on the Harehills area.
The chaos erupted on a residential street last night after officers were called to a disturbance involving ‘agency workers and children’. Large crowds gathered in Harehills as thugs overturned and smashed up a police car with scooters, prams and bikes.
Locals were also seen running towards a fire started in the middle of the road with a large fridge, which they hurled onto the fire as the crowd cheered. Images later showed a double decker bus had been reduced to a charred and twisted wreck.
Police and local councillors have urged people to go home as dozens of officers, including cops in riot gear, flooded the streets around Harehills and roads were closed off.
But hooligans are continuing to turn up to the area, with many livestreaming footage of the mayhem on social media.
Harehills resembles a warzone this morning, after larger crowds of violent rioters set multiple fires across the area overnight.
A few hundred thugs are understood to be dispersed across the city, which has plumes of smoke from burnt objects filling the air.
A large number of public order officers have been deployed to the area and West Yorkshire Police have called in reinforcements from the force in South Yorkshire, a spokesperson told .
A police helicopter was spotted flying over the city early this morning as officers monitor the situation, Sky News’ northern correspondent Shingi Mararike reported.
But despite calling for back-up, Maraike claims police have taken an approach in which they’re ‘not going directly into the mass of people’ and instead trying to avoid ‘adding to the flames’.
The force, early this morning, issued a statement saying: ‘We wish to reassure residents we are responding to the disorder incidents which have taken place, and that appropriate specialist public order resources are attending.
‘Officers are also reviewing footage which has circulated on social media showing offending.’
Police reiterated that all criminal offences, including damage to vehicles from fire, would be investigated and vowed to take action against the rioters.
‘We want to make it very clear that the full weight of the law will be brought against those responsible,’ the force added.
No injuries have been reported in the disorder at this time, police have said.
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West Yorkshire Police say they were called to a disturbance involving ‘agency workers and children’ at a property in Luxor Street at 5pm.
They then made a decision to ‘remove the agency workers and the children’ from the area – as locals turned violent and more officers were sent to the scene.
One police vehicle was overturned yesterday evening and a bonfire started at a road junction. The rioters were also seen setting fire to a double decker bus.
First Bus, which operates Leeds’ bus services, confirmed that two of their vehicles, including the one that was set on fire, were involved in the incident and that no one had been injured.
A team from FirstBus’s depot was quickly deployed to the scene on Thursday to ‘provide support to our drivers and customers’, a spokesperson for the transport group said.
‘We can confirm that both drivers are unhurt and we have no reports of injuries to passengers,’ FirstBus said in a statement to . ‘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.’
Video footage widely shared on social media, shows large groups of people rioting, shouting and smashing up a police car.
Some locals have been livestreaming footage of the incident on TikTok and Facebook Live.
In one video, a child can be seen picking up a scooter and throwing it at a police car, while a man joins in and repeatedly smashes the car with a broken pram.
In another video, a group can be seen overturning a police car as the crowd shouts and some whistle and cheer.
Cllr Salma Arif, the local representative for the area on Leeds City Council, has posted a video with a West Yorkshire Police inspector on X urging people to stay home.
The Labour councillor said: ‘There is an ongoing situation currently in Harehills… we are asking everyone in the area to please stay home at this point in time.’
Inspector Nicolls, the East Leeds neighbourhood police inspector, added in the clip: ‘ If you can all just stay where you are, stay in your houses, we will manage this.
‘If you are in the crowd I would ask you to go home please, so we can keep everyone safe, thank you.’
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has thanked ’emergency services’ for their response to what she has called a ‘very difficult situation’.
‘I’m being briefed by West Yorkshire Police and we are monitoring events,’ she wrote on X. ‘I’m reassured no one has been seriously injured but suggest those who are using this to inflame community tensions to think again.’
Despite there being conflicting reports about what triggered the shameful riots, prominent political figures including Reform Leader Nigel Farage condemned the behaviour as ‘the politics of the subcontinent’.
‘The politics of the subcontinent are currently playing out on the streets of Leeds. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,’ the Clacton MP tweeted.
Alex Sobel, MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, hit back at Mr Farage, accusing him of ‘inflaming a situation with misinformation’.
‘This is a situation you know nothing about and no one has briefed you on. You are inflaming a situation with misinformation,’ he wrote on X.
‘Politicians have a responsibility to not exacerbate situations particularly with no knowledge of them. I expect you to issue an apology.’
Meanwhile, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was ‘appalled’ by the ‘shocking scenes’ and ‘attacks’ on Harehills.
‘Disorder of this nature has no place in our society. My thanks go to West Yorkshire police for their response. I am being kept regularly updated,’ she tweeted.
Leeds East MP Richard Burgon added: ‘I am on my way back to Leeds from Parliament and am in touch with the police and concerned residents about the on-going 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 West Yorkshire Police said: ‘At 5pm today, police were called to an ongoing disturbance at an address in Luxor Street, Harehills.
‘Officers attended and found an ongoing disturbance which involved some agency workers and some children.
‘More people started to attend the location and a decision was made to remove the agency workers and the children to a safe place.
‘A crowd started to gather and more officers were requested to attend the area, where some pockets of disorder were occurring.
‘More officers have been deployed to the area to assist with the management of this incident. Some road closures are also being implemented and people are advised to avoid the area at this time.
‘No injuries have been reported and enquiries are ongoing at the scene.’
A spokesperson for the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: ‘We are aware of a fire in the open in Harehills, Leeds at present.
‘As it stands the fire in the street is not impacting on public safety or buildings and as such we are allowing it to burn its self out.
‘We will continue to monitor the situation in collaboration with West Yorkshire Police who are leading this incident.’
A number of roads have been closed and people have been urged to avoid the area.
Police remain at the scene this evening. Leeds City Council was contacted for comment.