In a third day of rioting in London, police have clashed with groups of youths in one part of the city, and vehicles and buildings have been set on fire in two other deprived neighborhoods
Rioting has now spread across London
Police in Britain's capital are facing a third night of rioting as skirmishes broke out between police and hooded youths in the boroughs of Hackney and Lewisham. Politicians and community leaders have condemned what has been called "opportunistic criminality" amid warnings of more widespread violence on London's streets. The scenes in Hackney echoed those in other areas of London over the weekend, with the fighting reportedly prompted by a stop and search incident earlier in the day. Rioters, many wearing hoods and masks, were confronted by police lines spanning the width of streets, occasionally moving forward to push the groups back. Officers dressed in riot gear came under fire from objects including chairs and pieces of wood. At one point several people broke into the back of a stationary lorry, pulling its contents out on to the road, with some hurling missiles at police and others smashing the windows of a bus. Meanwhile, a bus in Peckham, south London, was set on fire, a Transport for London spokeswoman has confirmed, while footage showed a trail of bins and an abandoned vehicle ablaze in nearby Lewisham. More than 100 people were arrested overnight and early on Monday morning after boroughs in north, south and east London fell victim to copycat rampages following trouble in Tottenham on Saturday.
