Riots swept across London and at least three other British cities, as Prime Minister David Cameron returned early from holiday Tuesday to tackle one of the worst outbreaks of violence for decades.
The parliament has been recalled from its summer holidays for a special debate on the riots that have swept the country, Prime Minister Cameron said .
"My office this morning has spoken to the Speaker of the House of Commons, and he has agreed that parliament will be recalled for a day on Thursday so I can make a statement to parliament and we can hold a debate, and we are all able to stand together in condemnation of these crimes and also to stand together in determination to rebuild these communities," Cameron told reporters.
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He described the scenes on the streets of London and other areas as "sickening", adding that the police presence would be upped to 16,000 across the capital.
However, he's refrained from more extreme measures, such as calling in the military to help beleaguered police restore order.
He says 450 arrests have been made so far, and has promised many more arrests if looting continues.
In a third night of violence in the capital, groups of hooded and masked youths ransacked shops and burned cars and buildings, often unchallenged by an overstretched police force.
Rioters targeted the wealthy districts of Notting Hill and Clapham, inner-city Peckham and Hackney, and suburban Croydon and Ealing.
For the first time since the unrest broke out in Tottenham, north London, on Saturday night following the killing of a local man in a police shooting, the rioting spread to the English cities of Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol.
