The riots followed the murder of three young girls in the northern English town of Southport on July 29, and were fuelled by misinformation on social media that the attacker was a Muslim migrant, despite being British-born.

Violence has flared in several cities across England and Northern Ireland, although it has eased in recent days.

Many people were quickly jailed, some facing lengthy prison sentences. The National Police Chiefs' Council said in its latest statement that 1,024 people had been arrested and 575 charged across the UK.

Those arrested ranged from a 69-year-old man accused of vandalism in Liverpool to an 11-year-old boy in Belfast.

Prosecutors even said a 13-year-old girl had pleaded guilty to public order offences at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court, after being found attacking the entrance to a hotel for asylum seekers on 31 July.

Prosecutor Thomas Power said: "This alarming incident will strike real fear into those targeted by these thugs - and it is heartbreaking to know that such a young girl was involved in this violence."

The last time the UK saw widespread rioting was in 2011, when the police shooting of a black man sparked days of street violence, with around 4,000 people arrested over several weeks.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters)