Hundreds of people outnumbered officers during riots in Harehills, Leeds, on Thursday, 18 July. Vehicles were set on fire as residents were warned to stay at home, with a large police presence and helicopters deployed to the area. West Yorkshire Police, which has pledged that those responsible will face the “full weight of the law”, said it was initially called to an incident involving agency workers and some children. Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan said a “family incident” triggered the trouble, and that the actions of police and social service workers were “misinterpreted”.