Riots again hit Britain on Tuesday evening for the fourth night in succession. London was largely quiet with 16,000 police officers on the streets, but rioting broke out in cities to the north.

Riot police seal off a street in Croydon, south London, Britain, Aug. 9, 2011. [Xinhua]

 

BBC reported that crowds of young people looted shops and set fire to buildings and cars in Manchester, Salford, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Leicester and Birmingham.

Police were battling through the early and mid-evening with a crowd which eyewitnesses said was about 2,000 strong in Manchester city center. Shop windows were smashed and a women's clothes shop was petrol-bombed, and several businesses -- including a jeweler's and clothes shops -- were looted, according to Xinhua.

Earlier police had clashed with a much smaller group of youths in the neighboring city of Salford, where a community building was set on fire and several businesses attacked.

Police in the West Midlands reported trouble in Birmingham city center, town of West Bromwich and the nearby city of Wolverhampton, which had both been spared violence on earlier nights.

In Birmingham, a 200-strong gang of youths with sticks was confronted by riot police amid reports of attacks on shops and a car being set on fire.

Police in Wolverhampton had made 20 arrests by mid-evening. In West Bromwich hooded youths blocked a road and set fire to dustbins but later dispersed after burning two vehicles.

In the east London area of Canning Town, some youths were reported to have built barricades and stoned passing vehicles.

Theaters in London riot-hit areas such as the Battersea Arts Center, the Dalston Arcola and the Greenwich Playhouse, cancelled their evening's performances, and many shops closed earlier than usual. Many office workers left earlier to avoid being in the city if rioting began again.

The Global Post said one civilian has died and 111 Met officers have been injured in the four days of rioting since Saturday’s protest in London‘s Tottenham neighborhood turned violent.

Riot erupted in London following protests over the death of 29-year-old Mark Duggan, who was shot dead by police last Thursday. Rioters have attacked police with bottles, planks, bricks and even driven cars at them. Five police dogs have also been hurt.