'Nazis burn books - these have burnt a library' - Horror and disgust after night of violence in Liverpool

Residents in Liverpool have spoken of their horror and disgust after hundreds of masked rioters descended on the city in a night of chaos.

Unrest broke out after a far-right demonstration took place in the city centre on Saturday that quickly escalated into what police described as a ‘serious disorder’ with multiple officers injured.

Merseyside Police said two officers had been taken to hospital amid the disorder - one with a suspected broken nose and another with a suspected broken jaw. Families who had taken their children to see a Disney Princess cruise ship nearby were forced to flee the violence.

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A mob of around 300 people then began to assemble near County Road Mosque in Walton at around 8.30pm after far-right social media channels called for people to gather there during the evening.

Bricks and fireworks were hurled at officers holding riot shields while bins were regularly set on fire. The masked rioters then began targeting local businesses. At one stage a dad pleaded with masked thugs not to burn a terraced shop so his children were safe.

The Spellow Library and Community Hub library, a 'one stop shop for one of the most deprived', was then set alight with flames visible inside the building within minutes. As firefighters arrived rioters attempted to stop them tackling the blaze, throwing a missile at the fire engine and breaking the rear window of the cab.

In a statement issued on Sunday morning, Merseyside Police said the Spellow Library and Community Hub has been left severely damaged after the fire.

A clean-up operation has begun with the people of County Road now left picking up the pieces from last night’s disorder, the