Nearly 400 people arrested after week-long riots in England and Ireland

Nearly 400 people have been arrested after six days of riots in parts of England and Northern Ireland, police say. On Monday evening, police were attacked in Plymouth as they attempted to keep rival protesters apart. In Belfast, petrol bombs were thrown at officers, and unrest was reported in the east of Birmingham.

Over the past week, dozens of police officers have been injured, and shops, cars, and homes have been damaged in the disorder across the UK. The unrest erupted after three children were killed in a stabbing attack in Southport last Monday. This followed false rumors spread online that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker.

Prime Minister condemned the riots as "far-right thuggery" over the weekend and vowed on Monday to "ramp up" the law to deal with the violence. In Plymouth, police reported a "level of violence" towards officers on Monday night, with a police van being damaged.

"We are taking action against individuals who are intent on criminality," said Devon and Cornwall Police. Supt Russ Dawe added that "several" officers had been injured and that several arrests had been made for "a range of public order offenses and assaults."