Riots have broken out in several locations across the UK - including the likes of London and Liverpool - over the past week following a knife attack in Southport last Monday (July 29).

Scenes of violence, vandalism, burning police cars and projectiles being thrown at mosques have flooded people's news feeds over the past few days as violence across the country continues to escalate.  

So far, more than 340 people have been arrested since the violence broke out last Tuesday (July 30).

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer held an emergency Cobra meeting on Monday (August 5) morning to address the violence and rioting gripping the country.

Following the meeting, Sir Keir said a “standing army” of specialist police officers is being assembled to crack down on rioting as he called for perpetrators to be named and shamed.

The Prime Minister vowed to “ramp up criminal justice” in the wake of a sixth day of disorder which saw rioters storm hotels housing asylum seekers.

MAPPED: Where have all the riots been in the UK?

After starting in Southport last Tuesday (July 30), the violent riots have begun spreading across the country.

There have been riots reported in major cities from London and Bristol to Liverpool and Manchester.

You can see all the locations where riots have been reported in the UK on the map below:

Why are there riots in the UK?

The riots across the UK come following the death of three children, killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last Monday (July 29).

Alice Dasilva Aguiar (9), Bebe King (6), and Elsie Dot Stancombe (7) were killed and eight others injured during the attack.

Five children were left in critical condition, while two adults - yoga class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes, were also critically hurt.

Rumours emerged on social media claiming that the attacker was a man called Ali Al-Shakati who was a Muslim asylum seeker.

However, this wasn't true, with the individual accused of the charges being identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana in court.

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to parents of Rwanda heritage, before moving to the village of Banks just outside of Southport.

A vigil in Southport was held last Tuesday (July 30) but on the same evening, hundreds of protestors gathered outside a mosque in the town.

Chants were expressing Islamophobic and anti-immigration sentiment alongside support for Tommy Robinson, the founder of the EDL (English Defence League).

Objects were thrown at the mosque and riot police who were on site to deal with the disorder, with a police van also being set alight.

The rioting has since spread across the country affecting major cities including London, Liverpool and Bristol.

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Much of the reasoning behind the riots has been Islamophobia and anger towards immigration, both legal and illegal.

The Financial Times said: "The killings in Southport — although by a UK-born resident — prompted a torrent of disinformation blaming both immigrants in general, and Muslims in particular, for crime.

"Far-right sympathisers also accuse the police of treating nationalist and white protesters more harshly on the streets than they do, for example, pro-Palestine demonstrators."