Police would face "real challenges" tackling a repeat of the 2011 riots following years of budget cuts, one of Britain's most senior officers has warned.

A series of major incidents to hit the country in recent weeks has laid bare the strains faced by forces under financial pressure, raising the risk of a breakdown akin to that which hit the prison service in 2016, Dave Thompson said.

The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police called on the Government to boost investment, protect front-line policing including bobbies on the beat and cut bureaucracy in a blog for the National Police Chief's Council (NPCC).