Twenty-six police officers were wounded in riots that broke out two days after a man was killed by police. At least one of the officers has suffered head injuries after protesters clashed with police in Tottenham, north London.So far police have made 42 arrests in connection with the trouble, which flared up after people took to the streets last night to demand
More than 100 officers and riot police faced crowds of more than 500 people protesting about the death of Duggan, who was described last week by police sources as a 'gangster'.
There are concerns that the riots were fanned by Twitter, with some of those taking part posting inflammatory comments from the scene and calling for reinforcements. One picture of a police car on fire in the area was re-tweeted over 100 times within an hour.
The violence last night broke out soon after a crowd of about 120 had begun to gather at the High Road from about 5:30 p.m. The target was the police station which was being guarded late last night by lines of officers and police vans. As the disorder spread, and the numbers of demonstrators swelled, two police cars being used to block the road were set on fire by masked youths.
A shop was set ablaze and then a double-decker bus was also engulfed in flames and reduced to a twisted shell. Witnesses also reported looting. Teenagers and younger children were seen carrying valuables through the shattered glass front of an electrical shop. Windows were smashed at a bank and pictures on Twitter showed the building being looted. There were also reports that youths had stormed a McDonald's and had started making their own burgers and chips.
Several fire crews could only stand ready nearby as they were barred from the High Road where the fires were. One fireman complained that earlier, three engines had been sent to the scene without being warned about the riots. He said: 'We were sent to a road accident but it was the police cars on fire. We were then ordered to leave them burning and to drive off, probably for our own safety.
'I cannot believe what we have just driven through. As we pulled out of the station, there was a car on fire on the High Road and there were people in the middle of the road -- it was very scary. We didn't give them a chance to try to stop us. I am still shaking.'
Meanwhile, two news photographers were viciously beaten and robbed by masked youths armed with crowbars and other makeshift weapons and reporters on the scene were threatened by looters. The photographers said there was 'total lawlessness' in the area with the contents of shops strewn across the streets and the police unable to gain access.
One said: 'It is utter carnage out there. We have been beaten up quite badly and had about £8,000 of equipment stolen. We were quite discreet but as soon as we got a camera out we were set on by youths with masks who were armed with crowbars.'
A local MP called for calm last night. On David Lammy's website, he said: 'We already have one grieving family in our community and further violence will not heal that pain.'