LONDON is is smoldering after three days of rioting that saw police fight running battles with youths across the city as it descended into a third night of looting and violence. Live updates throughout the day (all times in AEST).
- Background:�Death that sparked the riots
- Interactive: London riots - timeline and map
- Gallery: Lawless Britain ablaze
- The Punch: The great ire of London
- Videos: Violence at street level
- BBC: How do you police a riot
- Get out, get out: Aussies caught up in riots
- Click here to refresh the page
1.30am London's mayor Boris Johnson has been confronted by angry business owners demanding an improved police response in south London.
Mr Johnson was faced by an angry crowd chanting "where's your broom?" in Clapham Junction.
The crowd is part of a community movement cleaning up after the riots.
"I want to say thank you to everyone who's come out here to volunteer to help clean up the mess this morning," Mr Johnson said.
"You are the real spirit of London, not the looters and the thugs who did so much damage."
London mayor Boris Johnson brandishes a broom as he talks to residents who volunteered to clean up following rioting in south London. Picture: AP
Source: AP
1.23am Shops and offices in a number of areas in London closed early or pulled down shutters as fears grew that violence would stretch into a fourth night, Sky News has reported.
Police said the number of arrests stood at 525, up from the figure of 450 reported earlier, and a team of 500 detectives was investigating. The youngest person arrested for looting was just 11 years old. So far, 100 people have been charged and police were being drafted in from 26 other forces.
12.06am This video showing an already bleeding youth being mugged only moments after seemingly being helped to his feet has gone viral.�
It shows the young man bleeding from a facial injury and sitting on a railway bridge in an unidentified part of London.
He is helped to his feet by an older rioter, but another then comes up from behind and quietly unzips the victim's rucksack. Both rioters then inspect the bag and remove an object before walking off.
11.33pm Police have said they are considering the use of plastic bullets to bring rioting under control.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh said police were not "scared of using any tactic" but said the drastic measure would be considered carefully as Scotland Yard was "not going to throw 180 years of policing with the community away".
9.57pm The 26-year-old man who was shot in a car during riots yesterday in south London's Croydon district has died in hospital in what was the first fatality in days of unrest, police said.
Police have launched a murder investigation.
8.40pm Police reinforcements have been called in from other forces - taking the number patrolling the capital tonight to 16,000 from 6000 on Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron says.
We will do everything necessary to strengthen and assist those police forces that are meeting the disorder.
Court procedures would also be sped up to deal with the "many more" arrests expected.
8.35pm There are scenes of dismay and disarray, as the clean-up begins after the third night of rioting.
Shopkeepers survey the damage on Ealing High Street, in West London. Picture: AP
Shop keepers begin to clean up on Ealing High Street, west London following a third night of rioting. Picture: AP
Source: AP
Firefighters douse the remains of charred homes and shops in Croydon. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
A damaged cash machine at a Barclays Bank branch in Handsworth, Birmingham. Picture: AFP
A damaged cash machine at a Barclays Bank branch in Handsworth, Birmingham. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
At a Tesco supermarket in Croydon, goods have been strewn across the floor. Picture: AFP
Damage at a Tesco supermarket in Croydon after the third night of violence on the streets. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
8.10pm British prime minister David Cameron has vowed to do "everything necessary" to restore order following a wave of riots in London and other UK cities, saying the scenes of violence were "sickening". He said:
This is criminality pure and simple and it has to be confronted and defeated.
Mr Cameron broke off a family vacation in Italy and returned to London, where he chaired a meeting of the government's emergency COBRA team and met with police.
7.25pm A soccer international between England and The Netherlands - due to be played at Wembley Stadium in north London on Wednesday - has been cancelled.
"It is with regret that tomorrow's ... international fixture with Holland at Wembley has been called off," the FA said in a statement on its website.
Earlier, Carling Cup matches were postponed. Read more at Fox Sports.
7.05pm Australians in London have spoken of their terror following a third night of riots in the British capital.
Matt Fernon, 22, was managing a pub in southeast London when crowds began rioting.
"It was pretty scary. There were riot police, there were people trying to break into our cars," he told Seven Network News today.
"There were people burning things, throwing things on the streets, breaking windows."
Another Australian in Hackney, Damian Cavanagh, said police were being careful to avoid clashing with rioters.
"At one stage the front line was 15 or 20 officers (who) backed away from one individual who was advancing on them," the 30-year-old said.
"I think they are aware how quickly actions by them could inflame the situation."
Australian journalist James Scurry said parts of the city were "like a war zone".
"There were cars reversing along a major highway. They were trying to escape the violence," he said.
"These types of things just don't happen here in London."
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is warning the more than 50,000 Australians in London to avoid all demonstrations and protests.
5.40pm In Croydon, a furniture store, a local landmark in business since 1867, was completely engulfed in flames. Owner Trevor Reeves told Sky News:
It's just completely destroyed. Words fail me. It's just gone, it's five generations. My father is distraught at the moment. It's just mindless thuggery.
3.50pm A video, which allegedly shows an injured boy being robbed by a gang of men, has been posted on YouTube. News.com.au cannot independently verify the accuracy of this film.
3.28pm Carling Cup matches involving London clubs Charlton Athletic and West Ham United have been postponed upon request by the Metropolitan Police, Fox Sports reports.
How the riots have spread
Drag the slider to see how violence has spread across London. Choose icons to reveal more about each area. Aug 04 2011 18:15 BST->Aug 04 2011 18:15 BST3.12pm Three people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, after two police officers were injured while trying to stop a car in Brent. Police believed the driver had been involved in looting an electrical store. One of the officers was in a hospital in a stable condition, the other suffered a minor injury, according to a Metropolitan Police statement.
2.37pm The Australian Olympic team chef de mission�says he�is�confident London will be safe for the Games this time next year.
Nick Green�met with Australian High Commissioner to the UK, John Dauth, yesterday to discuss security measures for Aussie athletes at the Games.
He�said the riots in London had not raised a need for the Australian team to revisit its security measures.
1.28pm Julia Gillard has condemned rioters in London who have run amok and turned streets into bloody scenes resembling war zones.
The Prime Minister said Australia wished its UK friends well and hoped the situation was brought under control as soon as possible.
I, like many other Australians, have been very, very disturbed to see the images coming out of London. There's no excuse for the kind of violence we're seeing on our TV screens
Riot police officers watch a large fire engulf shops and residential properties in Croydon. Picture: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
1.15pm� London police watch helplessly as a large fire engulfs shops and residential properties in Croydon. above. Picture: Getty Images.
The Met police now say there has been 334 arrests, with 69 people charged and two cautioned.
Police have also confirmed that a 26-year-old man was in serious condition in the hospital after being shot in Croydon, although it still remains unclear if he was connected to the rioting. The man was found in a car and had not been shot by police.
It comes as Home Secretary Theresa May, who also cut short her holiday along with Prime Minister David Cameron, condemned the riots as "sheer criminality" and vowed that the perpetrators would face justice.
1.10pm The Punch questions just how much London will be affected by the riots and how it will impact on next year's Olympic Games.
1.00pm There are now reports of major police activity going on in Ealing and unconfirmed reports of disturbances in Southall, west London.
The Guardian is reporting that "every single shop in sight has been smashed" in Haven Green, Earling Broadway.
12.50pm Rioters are chanting "London's burning" as they continue their rampage through the streets, The Times reports, amid warnings Britain was descending into a "summer of lawlessness".
12.35am Fire crews are fighting a blaze at the Sony wharehouse that was set alight during unrest in Enfield. The picture below shows the damage already caused. Picture: AP
Firefighters fight a blaze at the Sony wharehouse that was allegedly set alight by rioters. Picture: AP
Source: AP
Meanwhile, police are fighting to protect shops in Clapham Junction from further looting - these photos reveal just some of the chaotic scenes taking place. Pictures: AP
A policeman stands inside a looted shop in Clapham Junction. Picture: AP
Source: AP
Police arrest a man for looting in Clapham Junction. Picture: AP
Source: AP
12.15am The riots aren't anywhere near being over but that hasn't stopped Londoners joining together and starting a Post riot clean-up Facebook page, which already has hundreds of fans.
11.55am Scenes of rioting and looting a few kilometres from the main Olympic site have raised concerns about security and policing for the event.
Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics, said the violence raised questions as to what would happen if a similar incident took place during the Games.
You can imagine how stretched the police would be if this were to occur during the Olympics. It's not so much that this might happen again - unlikely - as that it reminds the people in charge that while the Olympic Games are going on, any other major event is going to be complicated.
11.40am This shocking footage reveals just how bad the situation is now becoming with rioters charging at police. Warning: This clip contains offensive language and may offend some readers, however we decided to post it in order to highlight the high level of danger being faced by police.
Meanwhile, "minor disturbances" are taking place in Manchester, but the BBC has stopped short of saying rioting is taking place.
11.25am The violent disorder raging across London has now spread to the southwest English city of Bristol, after already hitting Birmingham and Liverpool.
Police in Bristol said a number of roads had been closed, with shops and vehicles damaged in what they described as a "volatile situation."
And more shocking images are emerging of the destruction caused by rioters, with a furniture shop in Croydon completely destroyed by flames. Picture: AFP
A riot officer walks past a furniture store in Croydon which has been burnt to the ground. Picture: AFP
Source: AFP
11.05am London residents are painting a terrifying picture of the crisis and reveal gangs of rioters are attempting to break into their houses during the night. One resident in west London told Sky News:
I looked out the window and there was a horde of people outside. They actually tried to break into our house. They had a long pole which they were using to try to break down the door. One of them looked like he had a bottle, which I thought may have been a petrol bomb, and I was worried they might try to set the house on fire ... It was very frightening.
It comes as police say the earlier shooting of a man in Croydon was not fatal, also confirming he was not a police officer and was not shot by police.
10.50am The BBC is now reporting that there have been more than 100 arrests in Birmingham related to the ongoing riots and Merseyside police are asking people to stay away from the centre of Liverpool after reports of 200 youths roaming the streets in masks.
10.41am Footage has emerged of Sky News reporter Mark Stone asking a woman why she was stealing from a shop in Clapham Junction. She replied: "I'm getting my taxes back"
10.30am�More than 1700 extra officers have now been deployed across London as Scotland Yard said the unrest was "simply inexcusable".
Police told Sky News they have arrested 225 people and charged 36 people over the escalating violence.
10.15am We now have the shocking picture of a woman jumping for her life from a burning building in Croydon. Picture: Wenn.
Source: Supplied
10.05am The anarchy shows no sign of slowing down with reports the rioting has spread as far as Liverpool.
ITV news reporter Ben Schofield says disturbances are taking place in Liverpool's Toxteth area as well as Smithdown Road and Lawrence Road. He tweets:
Yes - Liverpool now burning too. That's my car on fire. #riots
9.55am Police sources have confirmed to Sky News that a man had been shot and injured in Croydon but it's unclear if he was connected to the rioting.
And the Carling Cup soccer match between London's West Ham and Aldershot has been postponed after police requested the clubs to delay the fixture due to the riots.
Meanwhile the image below shows a riot police officer directing his colleagues to clear people away from a burning car in Hackney as the situation spirals out of control. Picture: Getty Images
A riot police officer directs his colleagues to clear people away from a burning car in Hackney as the situation spirals out of control. Picture: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
9.30am Flashpoints are multiplying around London, with Clapham, Hackney, Dalston, Peckham, Woolwich and Lewisham added to the list of areas hit by violence which has already spread to Enfield, Walthamstow and Tottenham.
Violence is growing by the minute with police apparently powerless to stop the anarchy, the Daily Mail reports.
This shocking YouTube clip shows just some of the violence and looting taking place in Clapham.
9.05am A terrifying image has emerged of a woman jumping for her life from a burning building in Croydon, south London, as a group of bystanders reach out to grab her.
8.50am These pictures reveal the seriousness of the violence as police work to control looters and gangs of youths.
Police out in force on Clarence St in Hackney where the violence began, a car was set on fire and a local stores were looted. Picture: Britta Campion
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Photographer Britta Campion captures the unrest in Hackney, while this AP image shows youths setting cars and buildings on fire in Croydon, below.
A building burns as a riot police officer watches in Croydon, south London after youths set fire to shops and vehicles. Picture: AP
Source: The Daily Telegraph
8.41am There are emerging reports of rioting spreading to the northern and western suburbs of Camden, Notting Hill and Colliers Wood. The Wimbledon Guardian reports:
Shops and petrol stations have been looted as Colliers Wood becomes another target of youth violence in London. Gangs of well over 100 youths have targeted the Tandem Centre in Tandem Way, where a police van was attacked by rioters throwing bottles and rocks.
8.30am The fallout from the riots could hit the sporting world with Premier league side Tottenham Hotspur hoping their opening Barclays Premier League match will go ahead this weekend despite the ongoing riots, Fox Sports reports.
8.20am British musicians spark debate for their comments regarding the violence on the social networking site. Rapper MIA was called "spectacularly misjudged" for tweeting:
I'm going down to the riots to hand out tea and mars bars
And Franz Ferdinand lead singer Alex Kapranos asked where the Prime Minister was during all the trouble:
Where the f*** are the Bullingdon boys? What's wrong you ****s? Would you only end your holidays if it were Fortnum & Mason being looted?"
Youths grab clothing looted from a Carhartt store in Hackney. Picture: Getty Images
Source: Getty Images
The image above shows youths grabbing clothing looted from a Carhartt store in Hackney. Picture: Getty Images
8.10am Left-wing politicians are blaming government spending cuts for the spate of violence spreading across the capital.
Chris Williamson, Labour MP for Derby North, hints the Government?s austerity drive is to blame for the riots as he tweeted:
The Tories are back alright. Why is it the Tories never take responsibility for the consequences of their party?s disastrous policies. #tottenham
A former adviser to ex-London Mayor Ken Livingstone Lee Jasper is also blaming "economic violence" on the government, expressing little sympathy for damaged businesses, the Daily Mail reported.
8.00am Here's a picture of the violence which has spread from north London into suburbs south of the Thames. Picture: Sky News
The violence has spread from north London into suburbs south of the Thames. Picture: Sky News
Source: Supplied
7.52am�British Prime Minister David Cameron has cut short his summer holiday to lead the response to the escalating London riots - with violence and looting occurring for a third day across the capital.
Youths have set fire to shops and vehicles in a host of areas across London - which will host next summer's Olympic Games - and clashed with police in the nation's central city of Birmingham, as authorities struggled to halt groups of rampaging young people.
Mr Cameron's office said he was flying to London today, cutting short a family holiday in Italy, and would lead a meeting of the government's crisis committee as police and politicians seek to quell the violence.
7.45am This is Debra Killalea starting a live blog of the violence in London. A summary of the events that took overnight AEST can be found below.
London police fought running battles with mobs of masked youths as they failed to head off another night of violence in the capital.
Dozens of masked yobs were caught on video surrounding police vans, setting cars alight and robbing shops and trucks in a series of attacks.
The violence spread to suburbs in south London and there were reports that several shops had been looted in Birmingham.
Firefighters struggled to put out blazes across the capital as gangs threw pertol bombs at shops and police.
Sources say another 300 police officers have been drafted to help contain the violence, while the image below reveals yobs clashing with police and trash the streets of the capital. Picture: CCTV and BBC.
On the rampage: News footage of youths attacking a police van. Picture: BBC
Source: Supplied
Police chiefs urged parents to get their children off the streets as Britain's Home Secretary Theresa May�revealed that�the number of people arrested�for rioting�had reached 215 - including one 11-year-old boy.
Ms May said 27 people have been charged so far in the unrest and looting that has stretched over three days. Police said 35 police officers were injured.
Yesterday, scores of young people gathered in a main street in the inner-city district of Hackney, smashing up buildings and breaking into a truck that became stranded in the middle of the road, pulling out its contents, the pictures showed.
It began when police tried to carry out a stop and search operation, the BBC reported.
The image below shows masked youths taunting police on the streets of Tottenham. Picture: AP.
The riots erupted at the weekend after a young man was shot to death by police. Picture: AP
Source: Getty Images
Rioters, many wearing hoods and masks, were confronted by police lines spanning the width of streets, occasionally moving forward to push the groups back.
Officers in riot gear tried to control the situation, coming under fire from objects including chairs and pieces of wood.
Saturday night's riots broke out in the north London district of Tottenham following a protest against the death of a local man in a police shooting last week, and the violence spread to other parts of the city on Sunday.
The worst-hit districts - Tottenham, Brixton in south London, and Hackney - are multi-ethnic areas which have high rates of unemployment.
Police and politicians insisted the disorder was the work of a criminal minority and not a sign of social tensions or security lapses ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Ms May condemned the criminality from the riots.
"The violence we've seen, the looting we've seen, the thuggery we've seen - this is sheer criminality, and let's make no bones about it.
"That's why I say that these people will be brought to justice, they will be made to face the consequences of their actions and I call on all members of local communities to work with the police constructively to help the police to bring these criminals to justice.
"Once again, I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of the police officers who put themselves in harm's way to protect the public, their property and local businesses."
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