From the London Riots

Scenes From the London Riots

In some of the worst disorder seen on the streets of London in years, riots across the capital city began Aug 6, have continued for days and have now spread to other cities in England.

Hundreds have been detained by police, as violence has continued for days on the streets of London, although officials blame copycat criminals for prolonging the disorder. The hardest-hit area by far has been Tottenham, where residents identified “greedy youths” as primarily responsible for the looting and destruction, noting that they were aided by communication via text messaging and social networking sites.

The Metropolitan Police Service are also being criticized for allowing the violence to escalate, since they will be responsible for keeping order during next year’s Summer Olympics in London.

Click ahead for scenes from the destruction in London.