Leroy Cooper: Toxteth riots lensman's Liverpool love letter

The photographs are described by the museum as a love letter to Liverpool

The man whose arrest sparked the Toxteth riots has said an exhibition of his photos was a "labour of love" after 40 years of telling the story of his city on the streets.

Leroy Cooper was 20 when his arrest in July 1981 became the the catalyst for nine days of disturbances in the Toxteth area of Liverpool.

Now a photographer he has taken more than 250,000 images in his career and said the exhibition was important for the city's black community.

Liverpool Through The Lens is running at the Museum of Liverpool, Skylight Gallery.

In the run up to the riots, tensions had been rising in the inner-city area with police having a reputation for stopping and searching black youths.

Mr Cooper's arrest on Selbourne Street, near Toxteth's Granby Street, was watched by an angry crowd on the evening of Friday 3 July 1981.

The Merseyside officers' treatment of Mr Cooper led to a fracas in which three policemen were injured.

Leroy Cooper says he loves the people of Liverpool and his photos reflect the warmth of the community

The disturbances escalated rapidly and turned into full-blown riots with pitched battles between police officers and youths throwing petrol bombs and paving stones. It was the first time CS Gas was used in England to quell the disorder.

In the years after his arrest Mr Cooper enrolled on a photography course and pursued a career as a photographer and produced images to counter negative depictions of the neighbourhood.

He said the Liverpool Through The Lens exhibition showed the area as a "place of warmth, community and family".

The photos show the real story of Toxteth, Leroy Cooper says

"I think after Liverpool's connection with black people over 300 years it is a very important moment in the city. They are celebrating my work after 40 years of being on the street telling the story of our city," he told BBC North West Tonight.

"It's a labour of love - I genuinely love the people of Liverpool."

The museum said "Leroy's evocative and insightful images are a love letter to the city and the Liverpool 8 community."

It added: "Accompanied by text written by Leroy himself, the images chosen reflect on themes including racism, justice, the transatlantic slave trade, community, inequality, empire, migration, pride, solidarity, culture, family and regeneration."

The exhibition is running at the Museum of Liverpool

The images depict themes including racism and inequality, along with culture, family and regeneration

Leroy Cooper has chronicled life in his neighbourhood for more then 40 years

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