Hundreds of rioters clashed with police in Bristol during the early hours of this morning – looting a jewellers in a shopping mall.
Running battles broke out in the city’s St Pauls, St Werburghs and Stokes Croft areas – the scene of bloody riots just four months ago – before spilling into the city centre.
Cars, wheely bins and even a GAS MAIN were torched as a crowd of around 200 youths rampaged towards some of the city’s main stores.
Looters grabbed armfuls of goods from Thomas Sabo jewellers in Bristol’s exclusive Cabot Circus shopping centre and smashed the windows of a nearby McDonalds.
Heavily armed riot police, with dogs and batons, were brought in to quell the chaos during what they described as ”volatile” scenes. Four rioters were arrested.
A controversial Tesco store in Stokes Croft, the scene of two days of serious disorder and scores of arrests in April, also had its windows smashed.
Ch Supt Jon Stratford, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: ”There has been a series of sporadic and volatile incidents throughout the night with a small number of people intent on causing violence and criminal damage to property.
”This sort of behaviour will not be tolerated in our city.”
Avon and Somerset Police claimed it was ”prepared” for the possibility of disorder following events in other areas of the country.
The force mobilised officers from around 9pm on Monday, bringing in riot police, dog handlers and a helicopter as the violence spread.
Cars were set on fire in St Pauls, flaming wheely bins strewn across the streets and even a gas main ablaze in the city’s Montpelier.
Officers said they worked closely with Bristol City Council, Avon Fire and Rescue Service and the Ambulance Service throughout the night to ensure the safety of residents.
They added that CCTV footage would be used to identify offenders.
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This is disgusting.
such unlawful behaviour, its a disgraceful!
What a bunch of wasters….. Is this not the poor robbing the poor… why dont you go and do the job centres, at least then we can all save on your benifits…….
there is no cause behind it, it’s just mindless and hurts everyone
You put a weapon in a mans hands [he will at some point use it] I live in the US welcome to our everyday police state.Guns dont kill people,people with guns kill people.England please dont become the US,I fear for us all Please stop the rioting ,we are not barbarians.
what a bunch of wild animals!! shame on you
.we can’t live by mob rule,i’ve read alot of stuff this morning about these disgruntled young people,it’s the bankers fault ,it’s the advertizers fault,and at spiritual level i feel love is always the anwser to hate,but in the meantime please bring out the water cannons,so the rest of us who are just getting on with it can sleep easy in our beds
What on earth are the parents of these young thugs thinking of, why don’t they keep better control of them? They are just as much to blame for this wanton irresponsibility.
Iv’e listen to alot of people symphathising with the rioters,blaming our society i.e,the bankers,the advertizers,all the goodies in the shops,while i believe very sincerely that love is the answer to hate ,i think living here is alot better and a myriad of other countries,so untill some of our citizens see the light and realise their natural mindset should be one of gratitude,i’ll me more than happy for the police to use watercannons
The people that do this are driven by an idiot who gets other idiots to join them and so on, their main reason is to have so called fun, damage everything that’s not their’s and to steal everything they can while they can. These people are nerd’s and have no respect for other peoples’s value of life or property.
They leech off everyone around them normally because they can. They cant be bothered to do anything for themselves or other’s but blame everyone else because they have nothing other than a very small brain. I would be sorry for them, but to be honest with you … they are the type of muck on your shoes you just cant flick off so I rather put the things in the bin and then pee on them.
Let the Police do what they have to so that they can control and contain them, and then afterwards get the nerds forced to clean and repair it all up themselves.
thicketts, why destroy the place you live in???? got to b a better way to getyour point across
Good story Ferris
half of them photo’s are of birmingham not
Bristol i work in birmingham so i know when i see a photo of birmingham