Race tension continues in England

LONDON, England -- Racial violence in the English town of Stoke-on-Trent has led to almost 50 people being arrested, police said.

Officers in full riot gear came under a hail of bricks, bottles and broken paving stones on Saturday afternoon after rumours of a march by the far-right British National Party.

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"A group of more than 100 Asian men gathered ... and a group of police was sent to deal with the crowd," a spokeswoman for Staffordshire police told Reuters.

"We can confirm that no march by the British National Party took place, but certainly rumour was rife in the Asian community," she said.

"Part of the crowd started throwing missiles, including bricks and broken paving slabs. It was dealt with fairly quickly and the crowd dispersed within 20 minutes or so."

There were no reported injuries on either side. The arrests were made for public disorder offences.

Police refused to say how many officers had been deployed but said that they would continue patrols to prevent any further flare-ups.

Stoke-on-Trent, once famous for its pottery, lies 160 miles (258 km) northwest of London and has a population of 254,400.

In a summer of racial tension, last week saw 200 police officers injured in four days of rioting in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

The scene of the worst clashes in years, crossbows, flares, sledgehammers and petrol bombs were all thrown, with cars set on fire and shops looted. Violence has also recently rocked Oldham, Burnley and Leeds in northern England.