Bishop condemns night of thuggery in Manchester

The Bishop of Manchester has called for justice to be done after thugs tore through the city centre, vandalising and looting shops.

Manchester is one of several cities caught up in the wave of largely youth violence sweeping across England after disorder first broke out in London on Sunday.

People in Manchester have spoken of their sorrow at the damage caused to a city that worked so hard to rebuild after the 1996 IRA bomb attack.

There were 108 arrests made during the night as police described facing “extraordinary” levels of violence on the city’s streets.

The Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch condemned the “sheer vandalism, thuggery [and] theft” in the city.

“There is absolutely no excuse for that,” he said.

“Justice now needs to be done, and seen to be done.”

In Birmingham, police have launched a murder investigation after three men were killed allegedly while protecting their community.

In contrast, London was relatively quiet after the chaos of previous nights. In some parts of London, homeowners and shopkeepers turned out in force to patrol their neighbourhoods and keep rioters at bay.

Some told the media that they felt forced to come out onto the streets because the police were failing to control the situation.

Nick Davidson, 27, a computer shop owner told The Telegraph: "Everybody supports the police but we can see their hands are tied. We're good people but we're not having this."

In Southall, hundreds of Sikh men rallied to protect their temple. In Stoke Newington, crowds of Turks successfully saw off rioters and gathered again on the streets last night armed with baseball bats and fire extinguishers to deter any would-be looters.

Many churches are offering practical assistance and opening their doors to people for prayer and reflection. Last night, the Evangelical Alliance convened a prayer vigil in Kilburn.