Concerns over racial tensions in the north-west have increased after violence in Rochdale on Thursday night.

The disturbances appear to have been linked to the trial of 11 men of Asian descent accused of grooming vulnerable young girls in Rochdale. The trial is ongoing at Liverpool crown court, where the far right have held protests.

Tensions will be further raised in the region when the far right English Defence League (EDL) holds a demonstration in Hyde, where a white teenager was injured last month by a group of Asian men. Tameside council has expressed grave misgivings that the event could lead to unrest.

Two hundred young people congregated in Heywood, Rochdale on Thursday evening. A car and three police vehicles were damaged and an officer suffered bruising to his arms and legs during the disturbances.

At 10pm, Greater Manchester police effectively issued a curfew when they warned all parents in the area to make sure their children were home. An hour later, riot police had cleared the streets, but a takeaway shop had its windows smashed.

A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and police assault and a 14-year-old boy was arrested for causing danger to a public highway.

Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney, of Greater Manchester police, said officers were "aware of the tensions in the borough that have come about because of an ongoing court case in Liverpool".

He said there would be a significant police presence in coming weeks and urged the community to act responsibly "during this difficult time".

Police stressed that all the business premises connected to the Liverpool trial were under new ownership. The leader of Rochdale council, Colin Lambert, said the vast majority of people in the area were law-abiding.

Superintendent Chris Hankinson, who is based in Rochdale, described Thursday night's events as "unacceptable". Police were viewing CCTV images and hoped to make more arrests.

"I want to reassure the communities of both Heywood and Rochdale that an increased police presence will be out on the streets in coming days to prevent any repeat of last night's scenes," Hankinson said on Friday. He said the disorder would not break the long history of partnership and community cohesion.

Florist Debby Bailey, whose shop is close to where trouble broke out, described the protesters as "pillocks". She said they were the sort of people who "get drunk on a Saturday night and go to the takeaways they were attacking for a kebab".

There was a lot of misinformation being spread around the town, she said. "It's supposed to be 2012, yet they're behaving like animals," she added.

The Tasty Bites takeaway, opposite her shop, which was a focal point for protests, despite having no connection to the Liverpool case, had its red shutters pulled down on Friday.

Zeeshan Khokhar, 23, owner of Bits n Pizza said it started about 4pm, with kids banging on windows. "They were shouting, 'Why are you still open you dirty bastards?' The police came and told us to shut up shop.

"We are just doing business. It hurts and we are very worried about what's going to happen," he said.

Butcher David Ashworth, whose shop is next to a takeaway, said: "I don't agree with what's gone on. Most of the people who came to cause trouble don't live here."

Greater Manchester police said the static demonstration in Hyde would go ahead, with protesters escorted to and from the site. Crucially, there would be no march through the town centre. The chief constable, Peter Fahy, has previously said he hoped the march would be banned.

On Tuesday, at a council meeting the Tameside councillors condemned the EDL as "fascist thugs". The Hyde and Stalybridge MP, Jonathan Reynolds, has raised the issue in the Commons.

The Tameside council leader, Kieran Quinn, wrote on his blog: "I have a very simple message for the EDL and other right-wing extremists who might be thinking of coming to Hyde this weekend: you will not divide us and you are not welcome here, so stay away."

The mother of Daniel Stringer-Prince, who was badly injured in an incident in Hyde last month, said she didn't want the march to go ahead. She said she didn't want her son's name "dragged into something we don't agree with".