How far-right riots unfolded in Southport after peaceful vigil for three murdered children

ITV Granada Reports correspondent Ann O'Connor describes what it was like to witness a riot in Southport just hours after a peaceful vigil for three murdered children.

There were hints all day of the trouble that was to come in Southport.

Among families, crying quietly and laying flowers, there were young men with go-procameras attached to their T-shirts ordering me and my colleagues to ‘tell the truth’.

Some heckled the Prime Minister as he laid his tribute to those killed and injured: "How many more children have to die, Prime Minister?"

Then around 7:15pm fleets of vans started sweeping into the streets around those flowersstill being laid, sometimes by children the same age as the victims of the knife attack.

They stood staring straight ahead in about three rows, some were drinking at the pub opposite.

On a call to my head of news, I told her I thought there was something brewing and I wasgoing to stick around.

As soon as that call ended, a police car with its sirens and blue lights sped past me. I followed the crowd, with two fabulous security men.

That crowd was mostly young men, some masked, some drunk, some looking spaced out with unblinking eyes.

Others were just along to see what would happen, laughing and phoning their mates.

Right outside the mosque on nearby St Luke’s Road three or four men, dressed head to toein black and wearing face masks, had climbed onto the top of the Merseyside police riot van.

They were being cheered and goaded by the crowd; "torch it" some were shouting.

And that’s what happened. Flames engulfed the vehicle as bricks, bottles and wheelie bins were hurled at the mosque and the officers wearing riot gear and carrying shields.

It delighted and emboldened many who started to push forward carrying home madebanners with slogans like ‘deport them' and 'stop the boats'.

They were now pumped up by the mayhem, some started emptying rubbish bins on to thestreet and setting them alight too.

There were ordinary members of the public sat, trapped and terrified in their cars simplybecause they were driving along St Luke’s Road when all this trouble flared.

Suddenly, a line of police with shields pushed forward and the crowd fled.

I saw officers with round shields and batons ordering men out of residents' front drivewaysand those men running away with their hands up in surrender, their defiance melted intocompliance.

Then a police officer, supported by two colleagues went past his face and foot injured, allthree looked exhausted.

In the space between the two lines of Merseyside riot officers you could see the havoccaused.

The front garden walls of neat little terraced houses had been torn down to use as missiles,their bins had been strewn across the street and were still smouldering.

The violence subsided and I returned to the flowers at Hart Street to go live into our latebulletin.

It was almost midnight and still people were coming with bouquets.

Now the sweet smell of those flowers, and the sound of people’s muffled tears were drowned out by the hovering police helicopter and acrid stench of smoke hanging in the air.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...