Hattie McCann
Reporting from Plymouth

Standing here on the plaza on the Royal Parade, you would never know anything has happened. There are a couple of broken bottles and lots of street cleaners - and Plymouth City Council are out in full force.

Several police officers suffered minor injuries in the violence last night, and six people were arrested on criminal and public order offences.

Two groups gathered on either side of the Royal Parade and chanted slogans at each other, followed by skirmishes between protesters and officers. A police van was damaged as the violence broke out.

The council were well aware of yesterday's plans, and advised residents to avoid the city centre. One-hundred-and-fifty officers were drafted, city bosses were working with local businesses to deploy extra CCTV cameras.

Lots of shops and venues decided to close early - including the Theatre Royal, which cancelled its performance of the Devil Wears Prada.

One officer from Devon and Cornwall Police told me he wants to reassure the community that they are fully resourced, and that "violence and hate will not be tolerated".

Image source, Anadolu

Plymouth City Council's deputy leader has been reacting to the violence that broke out yesterday - saying it was "grim" and "upsetting".

"I can't tell you how upsetting it was to see our brilliant city being used as what seemed like a kind of stop on this racist summer tour that seems to be happening," Jemima Laing tells the BBC.

She says there were locals present at the action - but "we know that there were people who deliberately came to Plymouth last night to cause trouble, to rile people up".

"Most protestors were peaceful but we were really appalled because there was a small number of individuals ... they really did engage in aggressive, violent and abusive behaviour and it's really not what Plymouth's about."

Police came under attack in Plymouth on Monday after 150 officers were deployed to the city centre. Several suffered minor injuries after bricks and fireworks were thrown at them.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

We earlier brought you some lines from Justice Minister Heidi Alexander's interview with the Today programme - since then she's spoken to our colleagues on BBC Breakfast.

Asked about Elon Musk's suggestion that civil war is inevitable in the UK, she says "everyone should be calling for calm" - and that Musk in particular "has a responsibility given the huge platform he has, and so, to be honest, I think his comments are pretty deplorable".

Musk made the remarks on X, formerly Twitter, which he owns.

Social media companies have a "moral responsibility" to help clamp down on misinformation, Alexander says, a day after Prime Minister Keir Starmer said criminal law must apply online as well as offline.

• For context: In the aftermath of the Southport attack, false claims were made online that the suspect was a refugee who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023 - and there was unfounded speculation he was Muslim. Merseyside Police later confirmed that the 17-year-old they had arrested was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, and that they were not investigating the attack as terror-related.

Image source, PA/Merseyside Police

It's been more than a week now since a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, in the seaside town of Southport, was interrupted by someone wielding a knife.

Three girls - Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar - were killed. Five others were injured and left in a critical condition, with two adults also suffering critical injuries.

Armed officers detained a male and seized a knife, with police later saying that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested. The boy, named as Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder and one count of possessing a bladed article and is remanded in youth custody.

The dance event was taking place at the Hart Space studio, roughly a mile east of the centre of Southport. The holiday club was advertised as including a dance and yoga workshop as well as bracelet making, and was aimed at primary school children in Year 2-Year 6.

Since the attack, there has been disorder and anti-immigration protests in the UK, fuelled in part by false claims that the suspect was a refugee who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023.

A bit more now from Justice Minister Heidi Alexander, who says additional prison places are indeed being created to deal with the number of arrests made in the past week. (We reported on this in more detail a little earlier, which you can read here.)

Anyone given a custodial sentence will have a prison place waiting for them, she tells the Today programme.

The government is also looking at whether magistrates' courts can extend their hours, Alexander says.

“We want to get this under control as quickly as possible, we can’t go on with what we’ve been seeing ... we’ve seen outright criminal behaviour, racist attacks, dangerous extremism, and we will not tolerate that in our country."

Some of those arrested began appearing before judges in the UK yesterday.

We've just been hearing from Justice Minister Heidi Alexander on the Today programme - she's asked about ex-police chief Neil Basu saying some violence over the last week has “crossed the line into terrorism”.

Does she agree?

"There have been a range of offences that will have been committed" with some carrying "very significant jail terms," Alexander says.

Should the charges be tougher?

"The decision about charging will be a matter for the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service]," she says.

Image source, UK Parliament

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

More than 500 extra prison places will be available from next week to help detain those arrested in the disorder across England and Northern Ireland.

The extra spaces come in part from a new block opening at HMP Stocken in Rutland next week, as well as repurposed cells at HMP Cookham Wood in Kent in the coming weeks.

The plans were already in place but officials said they had been accelerated to cope with the crisis. Fire safety work on abandoned cells will also be sped up to increase capacity.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has warned those taking part in violence that "police, courts and prisons stand ready and you will face the consequences of these appalling acts".

The prime minister’s spokesperson insisted yesterday that the government was "confident they have the spaces needed to lock up anyone involved in the riots we've seen".

But officials warned these latest measures would only help resolve the problem during August and by September - prisons would be full.

Keir Starmer's spokesman also said yesterday that the extra arrests made in the riots had highlighted why the government needed to release some prisoners early, as announced last month: “It's why the overcrowding crisis in prisons needs to be dealt with ... it is important that the [prison] estate does have the capacity to respond in circumstances like these."

The above map shows the parts of the UK where protesters have been arrested this past week - it includes cities such as Sunderland, Hull, Bristol and the capital, London.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said yesterday that more than 370 people had been arrested since the unrest began last Tuesday - but they warned that figure was likely to grow "each day".

We're yet to hear an updated total following the scenes last night.

Image source, Getty Images

Riot police came under attack in Belfast, with stones and petrol bombs thrown in the Sandy Row area, close to a supermarket which was set alight at the weekend.

In Plymouth, police came under attack after 150 officers were deployed to the city centre. Several suffered minor injuries after bricks and fireworks were thrown at them.

A pub and cars were also damaged in Birmingham after hundreds gathered in the Bordesley Green area following false reports that far-right protestors planned to march through the area. Several vehicles and a pub were attacked by a masked group who broke away from the main demonstration.

And in Darlington, dozens of officers were deployed to the North Lodge Park area after two large groups of mostly males gathered just after 21:00 BST - police later said "small pockets of serious violence" had led to bricks being thrown at officers.

Sam Hancock
Live page editor

Last night saw a continuation of the violent unrest we've been seeing in parts of the UK for a week now - with police coming under attack in Belfast, Darlington and Plymouth.

Riot officers in South Belfast had petrol bombs thrown at them while police in Plymouth suffered minor injuries and one of their vans was damaged.

Hours before, a vigil was held for the victims of a mass stabbing in Southport last Monday. It was that attack which sparked all this.

We'll bring you more detail about last night's unrest in our next post, as well as fresh news lines and analysis. Stay tuned.

Patrick Jackson
Live page editor

Thank you for following our live updates on the violent disorder which has flared up across parts of the UK since the mass stabbing in Southport just over a week ago.

Monday saw unrest in Plymouth, Birmingham and Belfast, while police chiefs announced that the overall number of arrests made in the UK over the past week had reached nearly 400.

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, announced a "standing army" of specialist police officers was ready to tackle the disorder.

In Southport itself, crowds gathered at a vigil in remembrance of the three little girls killed in the attack on a holiday club. A cousin of Leanne Lucas, the yoga teacher critically injured in the attack, told the BBC he thought the protests and riots were "disgusting" and should stop.

We will be back shortly to bring you the latest developments in this story.

Earlier we reported on unrest in the east of Birmingham after hundreds of people gathered in the Bordesley Green area following false reports that a far-right march had been planned there.

Palestinian flags were waved and anti-English Defence League chants were heard at the gathering. A group of youths later broke away and reportedly attacked several vehicles and a pub.

West Midlands Police has released a statement which says officers are investigating reports of an assault and damage to a pub.

The force said: "No arrests have been made at this stage but there were sporadic incidents and we are investigating reports of an assault, incidents of criminal damage to a pub on Stoney Lane, a car which had its windows smashed on Alcombe Grove, Stechford, and further criminal damage to a vehicle which had its tyres damaged on Belchers Lane, Bordesley Green.

"We are also investigating reports of a man who was in possession of an offensive weapon."

Ch Supt Richard North added: “Fortunately rumours of the significant protest activity in the city didn’t materialise. "There were several sporadic incidents of criminality during the evening and we will work hard to arrest those responsible."

Here are some images from Plymouth where police intervened on Monday as anti-immigration protesters faced off against counter-demonstrators.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Page
Ireland correspondent

Image source, Cormac Campbell/BBC

Police have been coming under attack from a group throwing stones and other missiles in South Belfast.

The trouble is happening in the Sandy Row area, close to a supermarket which was set on fire on Saturday.

Around a dozen people are involved in the violence, which is being directed at several armoured police Land Rover vehicles.

A number of officers in riot gear have sealed off the street. A bin has been set alight and one petrol bomb has been thrown.

Earlier this evening, members of Belfast City Council met to vote for financial support for businesses “impacted by racist criminal attacks”.

Plymouth Live crime reporter Carl Eve has been telling BBC's World Tonight programme there has been a "bigger turnout" in Plymouth than anticipated.

Initially from 15:30 there were vocal clashes between two groups of people but he described it getting worse as the afternoon and evening wore on.

"Helmets went on [police officers] and missiles were thrown [towards them]," he says. "It was the usual beer cans and then at some point someone found a large collection of rocks.

"Various groups moved up and down along Royal Parade.

"A lot of people have been hit in the head by bricks. I had a half brick miss my head by about a foot."

More from Devon and Cornwall's Supt Russ Dawe, who has been speaking to the BBC about the disorder in Plymouth.

He says several officers have "minor injuries" from "unnecessary assaults".

One police van has had its windows smashed but that hasn't stopped it from being operational, he adds.

"My ask of individuals is peaceful protest is acceptable, now is the time to return home and stop this level of disorder in Plymouth," Dawe adds.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just heard a statement from Devon and Cornwall Police's Supt Russ Dawe on the disorder in Plymouth.

He says levels of violence have been seen across this city during the evening, and "several" officers have sustained injuries.

Speaking at a media briefing, Supt Dawes says he wants to reassure the community that the force is "fully resourced at this time, with a strong police presence".

Dawe adds that those intent on committing crimes and public order "will be dealt with robustly", adding a number of arrests have been made for a "range of public order offences and assaults".

Some more now from the situation in Birmingham.

Jess Phillips, MP for Birmingham Yardley, says people there "are scared tonight".

"We have directed police to all locations of violence we are hearing about. Any acts of violence will not be tolerated," Phillips writes in a post on X.

She adds that police "attended site of earlier violence" and residents have told her "things have calmed".

About 150 officers are deployed in Plymouth city centre, Devon and Cornwall Police say.

"Violence will not be tolerated," the force says in a social media post.

"Hate will not be tolerated. Work is ongoing to de-escalate the situation."

Phil Mackie
Midlands correspondent, reporting from Birmingham

There have been some disturbances within the past hour-and-a-half in Birmingham, after hundreds of people gathered in the Bordesley Green area of the city following false reports a march was planned in the area.

Several vehicles and a pub have been attacked by a group of youths, who broke away from the main demonstration and were wearing masks and carrying weapons.

West Midlands police have said there have been at least three cases of criminal damage, and one offence where someone was seen carrying an offensive weapon.