Police car overturned, bus set on fire in Leeds as riot breaks out

LONDON: A riot broke out in Britain’s Leeds after police were called to an incident involving agency workers and children, officials said late Thursday.

According to West Yorkshire Police, they were called to an incident in progress on Luxor Street, Harehills, at 5pm on Thursday. Upon arrival, officers “found a disturbance in progress involving some agency workers and several children.”

A crowd soon began to gather at the location after which officers decided to remove the agency workers and children to safety. However, tensions rose and “pockets of disorder” broke out in the area.

Images purportedly shared on social media showed a large crowd of people on the street and a police car overturned on its side while a bus was set on fire.

“Several officers have been deployed to the area to help deal with this incident. Some road closures are also in place and people are advised to avoid the area at this time,” West Yorkshire Police said in a statement.

“No injuries have been reported and investigations are ongoing at the scene,” he added.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper took to social media platform X to condemn the violence. She posted: “I am horrified by the shocking scenes and attacks on police vehicles and public transport in Leeds tonight (Thursday night). Disorder of this nature does not occur in our society. My thanks go to West Yorkshire Police for their response. I am kept up to date on a regular basis.”