Southport police brace for more violence from far-right ‘hooligans’

Chief constable expects protests from group reportedly linked to English Defence League to last into next week

Police are braced for further violence from far-right agitators in Southport in the days ahead as the seaside town struggles to come to terms with a knife attack that killed three children and left several others in a critical condition.

A mob of up to 300 attacked officers with bricks, destroyed garden walls, set cars and bins alight and attacked a mosque and shop on Tuesday night while many residents of the Merseyside town were attempting to digest the horror that had unfolded at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class for children on Monday.