Authorities in the northern English city of Leeds said order had been restored after a night of unrest that began when police and local government workers responded to a “domestic incident” and residents took to the streets in protest.
LONDON — Authorities in the northern English city of Leeds said order had been restored after a night of unrest that began when police and local government workers responded to a “domestic incident” and residents took to the streets in protest.
Rioters set fire to a bus and overturned a police car in what police described as a “serious disorder incident” that began around 5pm on Thursday in the Harehills area. A large number of officers have been deployed to the area and “the full force of the law” will be used against those responsible, West Yorkshire Police said in a statement.
Tom Riordan, chief executive of Leeds City Council, said calm had returned around 1am and authorities had already started cleaning up the damage.
“There was a domestic incident earlier today that the police and our officials attended and that caused concern among many residents,” Riordan said in an interview with the BBC. “And that seems to have been the trigger for concern among groups of people who were concerned about what had happened.”
Riordan declined to provide details about the incident, but said authorities always intervene when children are in danger. The community “probably misinterpreted” the situation, he said.
Police said they initially responded to a report of a disturbance involving children and “agency workers”. As more people arrived at the scene, the decision was made to move the children and workers to a safer location.
But the situation continued to escalate, with crowds gathering and outbreaks of unrest. No injuries were reported, police said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who is responsible for Britain’s law enforcement, said she was “appalled by the shocking scenes” in Leeds overnight.
“A disorder of this nature has no place in our society,” she said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
