Fifteen people have been arrested following 'disgraceful' scenes at a protest outside a hotel housing asylum seekers. A police van was set on fire and fireworks were thrown at officers in Knowsley, Merseyside.
Merseyside Police have revealed that officers made 15 arrests, with a 13-year-old boy among those being held. Thirteen men and two women, aged between 13 and 54 and mainly from the Knowsley area, are being questioned on suspicion of violent disorder following the demonstration outside the Suites Hotel last night.
A police officer and two members of the public suffered minor injuries after trouble flared following the initially peaceful protest. Lit fireworks were thrown at officers and a police van was attacked by protesters using hammers and then set alight, a spokesman for the force said.
