New rioting in London

Riot police faced off with youths in fresh violence in London on Monday in the third day of disorder after some of the worst rioting in the British capital in years at the weekend. Scores of young people gathered in a main street in the eastern district of Hackney, smashing up buildings and breaking into a truck that became stranded in the middle of the road, pulling out its contents, pictures showed. The violence threatened to spread out of the capital with reports that police in the central English city of Birmingham were struggling to contain a large group of youths who had earlier smashed several shop windows. London Fire Brigade received 264 emergency calls overnight Saturday and attended 49 fires in the Tottenham area. Overnight Saturday, they dealt with 12 fires which damaged shops, vehicles and homes. Three fire engines were damaged in the violence. Police said they had made 215 arrests since the riots began. The youngest person arrested was an 11-year-old boy. The districts worst hit by the violence -- Tottenham, Brixton in south London, Hackney and Peckham -- are multi-ethnic areas which have high rates of unemployment. Source: AFP ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS ©REUTERS