Ely: Cars set alight amid disorder after Cardiff crash

Cars have been set alight and objects have been thrown at police near the scene of a crash in Cardiff.

Riot police with dogs joined emergency services on Snowden Road in the district of Ely on Monday evening after 100-150 people gathered there.

Some of those gathered wore balaclavas while others were seen breaking up paving slabs to hurl at officers.

Videos on social media also showed fireworks being thrown at police.

Police said arrests had been made but did not give a figure.

The events that led to the disorder remain unclear.

South Wales Police said that, shortly after 18:00 BST, officers responded to a report of a "serious road traffic collision" on Snowden Road.

Following speculation on social media that police had been involved in the original incident, the force said the crash "had already occurred when officers arrived".

Two police cars were damaged in the disorder, with pictures showing one with its windscreen broken and its wing mirrors hanging off.

A member of the public was also attacked because some of those gathered thought they were an undercover police officer, according to one of the senior officers at the scene.

At least two parked cars were set alight, one of them after being tipped onto its roof.

On Tuesday morning, paving stones and pipes could be seen strewn across the street.

Other parked cars had had windows smashed, while a child's car seat lay in ruins on the road.

Snowden Road has been closed between Wilson Road and Jackson Road and drivers have been asked to avoid the area.

John Urquhart, who lives in Ely, witnessed the incident escalate from the start of the evening.

He said the vast majority of people were in the street because they "wanted to know what would happen next", and added that there was "a very small number of people actually doing any sort of violence."

Mr Urquhart said he was very "counter-violence" and offered first aid to people during the evening.

In a tweet at 01:10 BST, police said they were "continuing to monitor and respond" to the situation and that a "large police presence remains in the area".

As the disorder continued into the early hours of the morning, those gathered moved down nearby Highmead Road as police attempted to disperse them.

Police, including officers on horseback, were seen outside Ely police station amid suggestions that it could be targeted.

The National Police Air Service also said it had assisted with the incident.

Jane Palmer said she and her family watched from a window as people outside set fire to her car.

"I'm disabled so now I'm trapped without my car," she said.

"Why are they doing this? It's just silly now."

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said those behind the violence were "kids", and that it had "crossed a line" and "needs to stop".

In an earlier post, police urged "anyone involved [in the disorder] to leave the scene immediately" and asked local residents to "stay away while the matter is brought to a safe conclusion".

"We need to ensure that this evening's collision is effectively investigated," they said.

They also asked local residents to remain indoors.

Cardiff Bus said earlier that a service it runs through the area had been re-routed and would remain so for the rest of the evening.