Rioting youths fight police

Police lines were pelted with bricks

Hundreds of rioting youths armed with petrol bombs and bricks have clashed with police during a night of violence in Oldham.

Greater Manchester Police described the situation as "a major incident" which at its height saw a stand-off between about 500 police in riot gear and a similar number of Asian youths.

The riots are understood to have been sparked by earlier clashes between about 20 white and Asian youths just after 2030BST on Saturday.

We have never seen scenes like it

Chief Superintendent Eric Hewitt

Fifteen officers suffered minor injuries in the all-night stand-off and 17 people were arrested on suspicion of public order offences.

Greater Manchester police believe the violence escalated after a gang of white youths attacked Asian homes.

Four people were arrested in connection with that attack.

Oldham has been a flashpoint of racial tension in recent weeks, highlighted when Asian youths claimed they wanted to create "no-go zones" for white people because police had failed to react to attacks on their communities.

Chief Superintendent Eric Hewitt said he was shocked by the "ferocity and sheer carnage" of the rioting, which lasted seven hours.

Firearm recovered

During the violence, youths hurled petrol bombs, bricks and firecrackers at the police lines.

Shots were fired from the crowd and at times, the bombardments of missiles forced police to withdraw.

Officers recovered a firearm during the incident.

Mr Hewitt said no one had been prepared for the scale of the rioting.

"Tensions have been rising in this borough for some months and extra police have been on patrol but no one could have predicted the ferocity and violence that took place," he said.

"Officers were under a barrage of petrol bombs from 9.30pm until between 4am and 5am. It was quite horrendous.

"It shocked not only the police but it shocked the whole community."

He denied accusations that the police had been heavy handed in dealing with the rioters.

Riot police used containment tactics to pen in a group of about 400 Asian youths in the Glodwick area of the town, and occasionally charged the mob, pulling individuals from the crowd.

A crowd of about 100 youths also targeted a pub in the area earlier in the evening, smashing windows and throwing petrol bombs.

Debris, including burned out, overturned cars, littered the streets as most of the rioters had cleared by daybreak.

'Rebuild trust'

BBC reporter Jim Clarke said the riot police had taken control of the Glodwick area by about 0500BST.

Mr Hewitt said police were prepared for more trouble on Sunday but extra police would be in the Oldham area.

Meanwhile video footage from a police helicopter would be analysed to try to identify rioters.

He said community relations had been set back but steps needed to be taken to "rebuild trust" between police and the community.

Recent troubles in Oldham have included an attack on 76-year old war veteran Walter Chamberlain which resulted in the National Front staging protests in the town, despite a three-month ban on political marches.