At least two cars were set ablaze and objects were hurled at police after a traffic crash in the Welsh capital Cardiff grew into what officials described as “large scale disorder”.
Officers were called to Snowden Rd in Ely district shortly after 6pm Monday (5am today NZ time). Scenes livestreamed on YouTube showed dozens of people, many wearing hoods or balaclavas, milling around while others threw objects and shot fireworks at a line of police officers with riot shields who were blocking one end of the street.
At 8.21pm, South Wales Police urged people to leave the area and tweeted: “There is now a large number of officers working to manage the collision, but also to de-escalate ongoing disorder at the scene.”
An hour later, police reiterated the importance of people staying away from the area, adding: “Please avoid speculation - we will bring you the latest details as soon as we can - all of our updates must be factual.”
At 11.15pm, South Wales Police provided a further update that officers remained at the scene to manage “large scale disorder,” again urging people to steer clear of the area.
