Riot arrest toll continues to rise

Extra police were drafted in to deal with the disturbances

A total of 74 people have been arrested following the violent unrest which shook a Wrexham housing estate a week ago.

Officers have charged 55 people with offences including violent disorder over the riots on the Caia Park estate, say North Wales Police.

It follows two nights of disturbances on the estate involving local people and Kurdish refugees, of whom a small number were among the estate's 14,000 residents.

Police said the original clashes, on Sunday 22 June, were "racially motivated", but the subsequent violence was provoked by criminal activity.

Among those charged is a 13-year-old boy who is accused of throwing petrol bombs at police.

Meanwhile, Wrexham council says it is having to rehouse some residents made homeless as a result of the incidents.

Alternative temporary accommodation has been found across the Wrexham borough for the refugees, some of whom had been sleeping in a church hall.

Routine

Meanwhile, it is being claimed that some refugees and asylum-seekers have lost their jobs following the violence.

However, Reverend Aled Edwards, who represents the interests of refugees and asylum-seekers in Wales, said he believed that was because their routine has been disrupted.

The refugees were being housed in temporary accommodation and were removed from their workplaces and so they were not able to go to work, he said.

During the disturbances, North Wales Police drafted in back up from neighbouring forces, including Merseyside.

Officers, some carrying mobile CCTV cameras, patrolled the estate and prevented crowds from gathering.

Police have kept a high-profile presence in Caia Park over the weekend, and have said they will continue to work closely with the community to provide reassurance and maintain harmony.