Three die as riots continue to spread across England

HUNDREDS of people were arrested as violence swept the length and breadth of England during a fourth consecutive night of rioting.

As ugly scenes of looting spread to Manchester, Nottingham and Birmingham overnight, three men died after being hit by a car in Birmingham.

West Midlands Police launched a murder inquiry after the trio were struck in Winson Green at 1am.

Trouble also erupted in areas including Liverpool, Salford, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Bristol and Gloucester.

A beefed-up presence of 16,000 officers patrolling the streets resulted in a quieter night across London, with 81 arrests, taking the total detained by Scotland Yard since Saturday night to 768.

Of those, 167 have been charged, the Met said.

For the second day running, Prime Minister David Cameron, who returned early from holiday to deal with the crisis, will chair a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee to discuss the worsening situation.

Until last night Manchester had remained untouched by the violence which has devastated communities.

But hundreds of marauding thugs descended on the city where they torched a shop, smashed up businesses and looted, bringing "shame in particular on the streets of Salford and Manchester", said Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan.

Officers arrested 108 people after hooded youths played cat and mouse with riot officers.

West Midlands Police said they had made a total of 109 arrests following scenes of disorder in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and West Bromwich.

Shops, including a branch of Marks & Spencer and a hi-fi store, were again targeted in Birmingham with reports of a gun being fired, while there were reports of large groups of people in West Bromwich town centre and vehicles being set on fire.

In Nottingham a police station was firebombed and more than 90 people were arrested.

Speaking this morning Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "For now, the priority is restoring public confidence."

He said insurance claims should be fast-tracked and local authorities must be given the money to make sure rebuilding could start, providing reassurance to affected communities.

Mr Miliband said the causes of the riots were "complex" and "brave" police must be allowed make operational decisions about how to deal with the unrest.

He praised the "strong policing response" last night, adding: "We have got to give them the resources they need, that's very important."