London riots: More than 900 arrested over disorder

More than 900 people have been arrested over violence, disorder and looting in London, with over 450 charged.

Those arrested include two boys of 17 and a man of 18 held over an arson attack which destroyed a Sony warehouse in Enfield, north London, on Monday.

The Met also began raids in Pimlico and Brixton as 100 warrants were issued targeting those that looted shops.

And the prime minister said the reinforced police presence of 16,000 officers will remain over the weekend.

Wednesday was a comparatively calm night, with the exception of an incident in Eltham, south-east London, where officers were pelted with missiles by a group of people. Officers rounded up about 150 men.

The Met said the group had been dispersed by 22:00 BST.

Officers made a total of 127 arrests on Wednesday night.

Some local residents were out on the streets claiming to be defending the area from rioters.

Acting Commissioner Tim Godwin appealed to people not to resort to vigilantism.

He said: "There's ways to get involved and volunteer to put things back to communities through local authorities, through the police service, there's lots of things we can ask you to do which will make our city even safer.

"If you want to protect communities, come and join us, we've got plenty of space for special constables and volunteers but otherwise join local authorities - but don't become a gang."

£50m repair fund

Talking about the police raids, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh said: "In the early hours of this morning we started knocking on doors to arrest people.

"We have got more than 100 warrants which we will be working our way through over the coming hours and days."

The Sony warehouse in Enfield was set on fire on Monday

The Met has also issued CCTV images of a man suspected of being involved in an attack on a 68-year-old Richard Mannington Bowes in Spring Bridge Road in Ealing, west London, on Monday night.

The victim remains in hospital in a critical condition. Det Ch Insp John McFarlane asked the suspect to "do the decent thing and give yourself up".

And London Mayor Boris Johnson has announced a £50m fund to help town centres repair the damage caused by the disturbances.

He said City Hall would work with councils and local communities to help prioritise the repair work.

The announcement came as it was revealed a 26-year-old man who died after being found with bullet wounds in a car in Croydon, south London, on Monday night, was shot in the head.

Police believe Trevor Ellis, of Brixton Hill, and his friends were involved in an altercation with another group of nine people, resulting in a chase involving three cars. Mr Ellis was shot during the chase.

Teenagers arrested

On Wednesday night the Met made a number of arrests in connection with the attack on the Sony DADC warehouse in Enfield, looting in central London and an arson attack on a furniture shop in Croydon.

The Sony warehouse, which stored CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs and games, was gutted in the blaze which was tackled by 40 firefighters on Monday.

Two of three teenagers arrested in connection with the fire - one 17-year-old and a man of 18 - remain in police custody. The other boy of 17 was released on bail.

Police released an image of a man suspected of attacking a 68-year-old in Ealing on Monday night

The two boys arrested on suspicion of burglary over the incidents in central London, 17-year-olds from Notting Hill and Belgravia, remain in custody.

A Hugo Boss store and a bureau de change on Sloane Square were attacked between Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday before the looters targeted shops in Pimlico Road, police said.

Two further arrests were made over the fire in The House of Reeves furniture store in Croydon.

A 15-year-old boy questioned on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life has been released on bail, while a 25-year-old man was released without charge.

A 21-year-old man arrested on Tuesday over the attack has been bailed until September.

The disorder on Monday night began in Hackney and spread to Croydon, Clapham, Camden, Lewisham, Peckham, Newham, East Ham, Enfield, Woolwich, Ealing and Colliers Wood.

Four magistrates' courts in London have been working through the night since Tuesday to process those people charged in connection with the riots.

Police said about half of the 240 who have appeared in court so far were aged under 18.

The defendants include an 11-year-old boy from Romford, who pleaded guilty to stealing from a Debenhams store, and Alex Bailey, a 31-year-old learning mentor at a Stockwell primary school, who admitted burglary at an electrical goods store in Croydon.

Scotland Yard detectives are dealing with 550 different crime scenes, 140 of which remain cordoned off to allow for forensic examination.