Shops which were left trashed and burned out after the violent riots this week must be cleaned up – with more protests set to come over the next few days.
Numerous stores in cities such as Hull and Belfast have been trashed, raided or set on fire amid the chaos, which has seen clashes between anti-immigration demonstrators, counter-protesters and police.
The disruption across England and Northern Ireland began on Tuesday in Southport, after three little girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Tiffany Lynch, from the Police Federation of England and Wales, has condemned the recent rioting and violence against police.
‘It is an abhorrent, senseless act of violence against our police officers, towards our public buildings who are there to serve the community,’ she told BBC Breakfast.
Ms Lynch called the scale of the riots ‘unprecedented’, adding: ‘We’ve had riots and clashes of this nature, but they have been pocketed in particular areas of the country. We’re now seeing it flooding across major cities and towns.
BELFAST: A cafe in south Belfast which has been destroyed after it was set alight following the riots
HULL: A police officer stands outside a burnt Shoe Zone shop in Hull after it was targeted during the riots
HULL: A Lush shop is seen after being looted following riots in Hull
LIVERPOOL: Council workers clear debris after a night of violent disorder in Liverpool
LIVERPOOL: Council workers clear debris from the streets after a night of chaos
HULL: An 02 shop is seen after being looted following violent riots in Hull
BELFAST: A supermarket badly damaged by fire in south Belfast following the riots
BELFAST: A supermarket completely trashed in south Belfast following the disorder
BELFAST: A man looks around at a destroyed store selling groceries after the violent riots
‘We’re seeing officers that are being pulled from day-to-day policing to… go out there and essentially protect our communities.
‘But while that’s happening, the communities that are out there that are having incidents against them – victims of crime – unfortunately, their crimes are not being investigated.
‘We’re not going to be able to attend all of the incidents that are coming in on the 999s because we’re having to direct the priorities of what’s happening on the streets.’
Shocking photos show shops destroyed, burned or emptied, with smashed windows, broken doors and wrecked interiors.
Photos taken in Hull show a Lush store – which sells bath and shower products – completely trashed with broken stock strewn on the floor.
Other shops destroyed in the city include a Shoe Zone, 02 store and Specsavers.
In Belfast, a cafe was destroyed after being set on fire following disorder amid the anti-immigration protests in the city.
The chief executive of Hull City Council has praised street cleaning teams who got to work as soon as they had clearance from the police.
Videos on social media last night showed shops in Hull city centre looted and on fire.
Posting on X, Matt Jukes said: ‘The idiots who caused all this don’t define us, our people and those who work to ensure everything gets back to normal do.’
LIVERPOOL: Charred wheelie bins outside the Spellow Hub community library in Liverpool
LIVERPOOL: The destroyed interior of the Spellow Hub community library after a night of violent disorder in Liverpool
BELFAST: A cafe in south Belfast which has been destroyed after it was set alight
BELFAST: A supermarket badly damaged by fire in south Belfast following disorder
BELFAST: A cafe on the Donegall Road in south Belfast which has been destroyed after it was set on fire
BRISTOL: A protester holding a piece of concrete walks towards riot police as clashes erupt yesterday
LIVERPOOL: Police officers attend to a shell-shocked colleague after a face-off with protesters on Saturday
NOTTINGHAM: Police officers detain a woman during a protest in Nottingham Market Square yesterday afternoon
LIVERPOOL: Rubble lies at the feet of police officers thrown by protesters in Liverpool, amid horrifying violence on Saturday
Speaking of the violent protests, Ms Lynch added: ‘We saw at the very start of this week… the tragic horrific killing of three young children and the injured children… a day of reflection quickly turned into horrific violence, and towards police officers that are there to protect everybody.
‘We will continue keeping up this policing for as long as it takes. We need it to stop, and we need it to stop immediately.
‘We will mobilise immediately. We are 24/7, 365 days a year.
‘We need the public to get behind the police, to get behind the call for this to stop.’
