Riots: Fourteen more people arrested over disorder in Staffordshire - with more expected

Staffordshire Police arrested 13 men and a woman in a 24-hour period over Thursday and Friday, in the wake of incidents in Stoke-on-Trent last Saturday and Tamworth on Sunday.

Earlier in the week police said they had already arrested 13 people in connection with the disorder. Violence erupted on Sunday evening when rioters swarmed a Holiday Inn hotel in Tamworth, leaving a police officer injured.

Petrol bombs were also hurled at officers as fireworks were used and damage was caused to the hotel by protesters, including windows smashed and graffiti daubed on walls. A mosque in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, was targeted on Saturday.

In connection with the disorder in Tamworth, A 55-year-old man, a 50-year-old man, a 37-year-old man, a 28-year-old man, a 27-year-old man, a 23-year-old woman, 22-year-old man and a 19-year-old man, all from Tamworth, and a 39-year-old man from Rugeley have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.

In connection with the the Stoke-on-Trent incident, a 47-year-old man, a 43-year-old man, a 34-year-old man, a 21-year-old man and a 20-year-old man, all from Stoke-on-Trent, have been arrested on suspicion of violent disorder.

It brings the total number of arrests made in the county in connection with the disorder to 24 people, with Staffordshire Police saying the figure was likely to rise over the next few days.

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: "We’ve arrested 14 people in the last 24 hours with more expected as our robust investigation into the violent disorder in Staffordshire continues.

"Proactive teams have been out in Stoke-on-Trent and Tamworth carrying out enforcement as our efforts continue to trawl through all of the evidence we have.

"We’ve been using drone surveillance, body-worn video and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) to gather footage of the people involved in the incidents that took place in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday and Tamworth on Sunday.

"In the last 24 hours, 14 people have been arrested. Nine people have been arrested in connection with the Tamworth disorder and five have been arrested in connection with the Stoke-on-Trent disorder."

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Ellison said: “Our dedicated team of detectives are working incredibly hard to action all of the intelligence we have to act robustly against those responsible for the violence we’ve seen in Staffordshire.

“I’d like to thank the countless amount of people who have been in touch with vital information that is helping us progress our enquiries since we opened our public portal on Monday.

“I want to make it clear that we’re coming after those responsible in Staffordshire. Those who might be seeking to cause trouble at any future demonstrations across the country can expect to face the full force of the law.”

Anyone with information on the disorder is asked to get in touch via Staffordshire Police's dedicated information portal. Get in touch using the Major Incident Public Portal here.