Double decker bus set alight as huge riot and scenes of violence continue in Leeds with hundreds filling streets

A double decker bus was set alight as mass riots and scenes of escalating violence continued in Leeds on Thursday night (July 18).

Huge fires were started in the middle of the street with police cars and vans also targeted and smashed up amid the large-scale disorder in Harehills.

Social media was awash with video footage of the chaotic scenes, showing mass crowds gathering and smashing up windows of police vehicles. Officers were also seen attempting to manage the growing crowds with riot vans also deployed.

READ MORE Violence and chaos with fires started and police cars overturned and smashed up in mass riot in Leeds

People have described the scenes as 'mayhem' and 'a riot' on social media. A number of videos surfaced online showing scooters, pushchairs, bikes and bats also being used in the assault on a police car before it was deliberately overturned.

A blaze, reportedly involving a fridge, was then started in the middle of the street. The incident first erupted at around 5pm when police were called to an incident at an address on Luxor Street.

A 'disturbance' was reported, involving agency workers and children. More people then started to arrive before 'pockets of disorder' began breaking out in the area.

The incident was still ongoing as of 10pm. At the time, spokesperson for the force said: "At 5pm today (Thursday), police were called to an ongoing incident at an address in Luxor Street, Harehills.

"Officers attended and found an ongoing disturbance which involved some agency workers and some children. More people started to attend the location and a decision was made to remove the agency workers and the children to a safe place.

"A crowd started to gather and more officers were requested to attend the area,