Police have defended an officer who drew criticism after being filmed allegedly slapping a teenage girl.

In the video, it appeared he pulled the young woman's hair as she resisted arrest.

The disturbance was filmed by a passer-by in Accrington, Lancashire on Monday, and they posted it on Facebook.

The video has been viewed over two million times, with shocked viewers condemning the police force.

Lancashire police have responded, explaining that while the restraint techniques "may look shocking to untrained individuals", officers are trained to use such techniques on people who are resisting arrest.

They added that officers were injured during the altercation, with one female officer suffering bite marks and a male officer sustaining cuts to his head.

The chief constable of Lancashire, Andy Rhodes, said that officers arrived at a "very hostile situation" at 5.45pm on Monday, and there were reports of youths fighting at the Market Hall.