Rotherham riots: 51 officers injured and police horse forced to retire after missiles thrown at them in night of violence outside Yorkshire hotel

The night of violence happened outside the Holiday Inn Express Hotel in Manvers, Rotherham on Sunday, August 4.

Officers had missiles thrown at them including concrete blocks, chairs, tree branches, fire extinguishers, glass bottles and cans.

South Yorkshire Police today confirmed that the officers received injuries including broken bones, concussion, bruising, and head wounds

Horses and dogs also suffered injuries.

One horse had to retire from duty that day after sustaining a hoof injury.

Assistant Chief Constable David Hartley said: "Colleagues across the force have been truly grateful for the kind messages of thanks and support which have been received from our communities following the weekend’s horrific events. I am so proud of our officers’ bravery and resilience on the night and now their ongoing dedication to helping our communities remain safe, coming back to work despite being subjected to such terrible levels of violence.

"Please be assured, we are continuing our work to identify and arrest the offenders at pace. If you were involved in the outright acts of violence and thuggery on Sunday, let me be clear - we are coming for you. We are determined to be arresting each and every one of the offenders from their homes in the coming days."

Officers who have been unable to resume frontline duties as a result of their injuries are now part of the team trawling through footage gathering evidence, South Yorkshire Police said.

Events and meetups across Sheffield have been cancelled today over rumours of further right-wing demonstrations in the city.

Unconfirmed posts have been circulating online since Monday claiming anti-immigration protestors are organising more rallies in as many as up to 20 English towns today (Wednesday, August 7).

One Sheffield city centre business manager, who asked not to be identified, told The Sheffield Star that she has closed her offices for the day and moved all the fire extinguishers and chairs out of sight on the ground floor.

“I’m not taking the risk,” said the manager. “All the ground floor is made up of glass windows. I don’t want some idiot spotting a fire extinguisher and saying ‘ooh I’ll have that’, and breaking in to get it.”