Vehicles set alight and police car overturned amid disorder in Leeds suburb

There was a ‘large’ police presence in Harehills, Leeds, on Thursday evening (Joe Giddens/PA)

Vehicles were set on fire and a police car was overturned as residents were warned to stay home following an outbreak of disorder in a Leeds suburb.

The British home secretary condemned the “shocking scenes and attacks” in Harehills, east Leeds, where there was a “large” police presence on Thursday evening, with helicopters deployed to the area.

A local restaurant owner said the chaos was linked to local children being taken into care, adding that some people in the community responded by setting fires and “throwing stones”.

I am appalled at the shocking scenes and attacks on police vehicles & public transport in Leeds tonight. Disorder of this nature has no place in our society.

My thanks go to West Yorkshire police for their response. I am being kept regularly updated.

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) July 18, 2024

Livestream footage on social media showed vehicles, including a bus, ablaze, while other videos showed an overturned police car on the road with its blue lights flashing, sirens blaring, car alarms going off and crowds of people in the street – some of them shouting.

Yvette Cooper said in a post on X: “I am appalled at the shocking scenes and attacks on police vehicles & public transport in Leeds tonight. Disorder of this nature has no place in our society.”

Riesa, a pharmacy dispenser who did not want to give her last name, witnessed “quite violent” scenes, telling the PA news agency she saw people throwing items at police officers and cars.

The 26-year-old, who lives off Harehills Lane, said: “They were attacking police cars, throwing things at the police cars – anything they could pick up off the floor really. Rocks from the garden, rubbish, drinks, anything.

“Drinks were definitely being throwing at the police – water or juice or fizzy drinks, or anything they had in their hands basically, at the cars because [the police] were trying not to get too close because it was quite violent.”

She said about an hour later, when she was back home, she heard “chanting and screaming” from outside, adding that it sounded like “a thousand people”.

A few minutes after that, looking out my house, I could just see big black smoke coming from the main road

“Looking out the window, you can see that people were attacking cars that were just at the traffic light trying to go past them, but they wouldn’t turn around because I think they were getting quite scared because there were so many people,” she continued.

“A few minutes after that, looking out my house, I could just see big black smoke coming from the main road.

“My husband said that they were pulling bins from people’s businesses or houses and just putting them into the middle of the road full of rubbish and just setting it on fire.”

She continued: “There was a bus at the lights, obviously stopped by all these people as well. He was trying to get past, obviously he couldn’t, so he just reversed and just stopped basically outside my street, and just left the bus there because he felt he was in danger.

“I did see people throwing things at the bus before the driver had got out. Someone threw some glass at the bus.”

One of our vehicles has been set on fire but was empty as the customers had earlier been transferred to another bus together with the driver

First Bus confirmed one of the company’s vehicles was set on fire with another caught up in the chaos.

A spokesperson for the company in Leeds said: “Two of our vehicles have been caught up in the public disorder in the Harehills area of Leeds this evening.

“We can confirm that both drivers are unhurt and we have no reports of injuries to passengers.

“One of our vehicles has been set on fire but was empty as the customers had earlier been transferred to another bus together with the driver.”

The spokesperson said all services are being diverted from the area of Harehills caught up in disorder.

Thank you to our emergency services in what is a very difficult situation.

I’m being briefed by @WestYorksPolice and we are monitoring events.

I’m reassured no one has been seriously injured but suggest those who are using this to inflame community tensions to think again. https://t.co/IZqkz9D7jm

— Tracy Brabin WY 🌹 (@TracyBrabin) July 18, 2024

As of 8.15pm on Thursday, West Yorkshire Police said no one had been reported injured and the Mayor of West Yorkshire said she was “reassured” there had been no serious injuries in a social media post later that night.

Tracy Brabin thanked emergency services and said: “I’m reassured no one has been seriously injured but suggest those who are using this to inflame community tensions to think again.”

Officers were called to an incident at an address in Luxor Street at 5pm on Thursday where they found an “ongoing disturbance” involving agency workers and children, West Yorkshire Police said.

More people started to attend the location and the agency workers and children were taken to a safe place.

A crowd started to gather and more officers were requested to attend the area where “pockets of disorder” were emerging.

Update: message from Cllr Salma Arif & Inspector Nicholls.

Cllrs are aware of an on-going incident in Harehills.

Please avoid the area if at all possible. pic.twitter.com/6jMX56kalS

— Salma Arif (@CllrSalmaArif) July 18, 2024

In a statement, the force said: “More officers have been deployed to the area to assist with the management of this incident.

“Some road closures are also being implemented and people are advised to avoid the area at this time.”

Yorkshire Police added that they will conduct a full investigation into “all criminal offences… including damage to vehicles from fire”.

“(All criminal offences), will be fully investigated by detectives from Leeds CID and the force’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team,” police said.

The spokesman assured the public those involved in the violent uprising would be held accountable for their actions.

The force added: “We want to make it very clear that the full weight of the law will be brought against those responsible.”

Salma Arif, councillor for Gipton and Harehills, warned residents to stay at home in a video she posted on social media, featuring an East Leeds Neighbourhood Policing Inspector.

Ms Arif said: “There is an ongoing situation currently in Harehills, we’re aware of that so police is here.

“We are asking everybody in the area to please stay at home at this moment in time.”

The inspector added: “If you could all stay where you are, stay in your houses, we will manage this and if you’re out in the crowd, I would just ask you to go home please so we can keep everybody safe.”