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HUNDREDS of rioters have torched cars and attacked police in Liverpool.

In scenes reminiscent of the shocking scenes taking place in London, police came under fire from bottles, stones and fireworks.

A roaming mob of hundreds of people took control of the top of Smithdown Road and Lodge Lane, setting fire to vehicles, before moving towards the city centre. There were also reports of incidents in Princes Road, Grove Street and Crown Street in Liverpool.

Officers were first called at around 10pm to reports of vehicles on fire and criminal damage in the south of the city.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing around 150 youths pelting passing police vans in Lodge Lane with bricks, stones and bottles.

At around 11.30pm, the rampaging mob mounted a rush at two policemen manning a road block at the junction of Lodge Lane and Smithdown Road. At that point, three loud blasts were heard and the officers fled in their cars.

Seconds later, youths were seen kicking over bollards and a road closed sign put up by the police in Lodge Lane.

By 11.45pm, the first cars were being torched at the top end of Smithdown Road. Rioters then moved down Upper Parliament Street, where minutes earlier three yellow police vans had been parked, and turned down towards Falkner Square starting fires as they went.

Eyewitnesses reported that the mob appeared to be moving at will with minimal, if any opposition from police.

The air around Upper Parliament Street and Smithdown Road was acrid with the smoke of burning vehicles.

Chaos ruled as passing motorists made emergency U-turns in a bid to avoid the trouble.

One eyewitness said: “After trashing Lodge Lane, the mob moved on to Smithdown Road, where they smashed up a lot of bus stops and set them on fire.

“It looks like they have tipped a lot of rubbish from wheelie bins into the middle of the road and torched it.

“They went up Upper Parliament Street where they smashed up a bus stop and torched a mini-bus. They are setting fire to anything they can drag into the road.

“It looks like they’re heading towards town. There is nowhere near enough police. Some residents came out and tried to stop them but they were just ignored.”

Eyewitnesses said they saw dozens of cars smashed up and some set alight in Grove Street, and a mob surrounding a fire crew as they tried to tackle a burning car in Myrtle Parade.

One woman at the scene said: “What are these idiots doing? They are just attacking police. This isn’t London or Birmingham. Liverpool is a small city and this hurts all of us.”

There were no reports of injuries, but is believed both the Royal Liverpool and Fazakerley hospitals were put on standby to receive casualties.

Picton ward councillor Tim Beaumont said: “I’m absolutely devastated - completely shocked. I didn’t want it to come to Liverpool and to our ward. I’m just devastated to see it.

“I’ve got no idea what started this. I’ve not come across anything which would lead me to believe this would happen. Relations appeared to be good.”

Merseyside Police last night said they were dealing with a number of “isolated outbreaks of disorder” in the south Liverpool area.

Assistant Chief Constable Andy Ward said: “Officers have tonight dealt with a small number of incidents of violence across the city. We will not tolerate any violence on the streets of Liverpool and have taken swift and robust action in response.

“We will work hard to ensure the people involved in the incidents are brought to justice.

“Merseyside Police has good links with communities across the region and over the last two days we have worked closely with residents to assess tensions within the community.

“We will continue to work with community leaders across the region to ensure an appropriate response to any incidents that occur.

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