On Thursday evening, chaos erupted in Harehills, Leeds, resulting in a police car being overturned and a bus set ablaze. West Yorkshire Police initially responded to a disturbance report on Luxor Street around 17:00 BST but encountered additional outbreaks of disorder.
Social media footage captured the scenes of large crowds, a bus engulfed in flames, and a police car under attack before being overturned. Home Secretary and West Yorkshire MP Yvette Cooper expressed her shock at the violence.
By late evening, hundreds of people remained on the streets, with police temporarily absent. Early Friday, police deployed a significant number of public order officers to address the ongoing “serious disorder incident,” though no injuries were reported.
The bus near Compton Centre was entirely consumed by fire, despite community efforts to extinguish the flames before emergency services arrived around 01:00. While the crowd had diminished by then, West Yorkshire Police assured the public that specialist resources were being used to manage the situation.
Footage from earlier showed the police car being attacked, with windows smashed and debris thrown. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the attacks, stating that such disorder has no place in society.
Several roads have been closed, and residents are advised to avoid the area. Initial police reports mentioned an ongoing disturbance involving agency workers and children, which escalated as more people gathered.
First Bus confirmed that while one of its vehicles was set on fire, the driver and passengers were unharmed as they had been transferred to another bus.
Gipton and Harehills Councillor Salma Arif and Inspector Nicholls from the East Leeds Neighbourhood Policing Team urged residents to stay indoors while authorities manage the situation. MP Richard Burgon and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin also urged calm and emphasized the importance of avoiding further escalation.
