Five months on from the violent disorder that rocked County Road the ECHO went to speak just some of the people who were affected that night
Haroon Shamsadin feared for his life during the riots on County Road(Image: Liverpool Echo)
One night in Merseyside will live long in the memories of those it affected. A balmy Saturday night descended into horrific violence when people began to gather outside County Road Mosque on August 3. After initially failing to gather earlier in the evening, as dusk fell on the Walton road, violence erupted and police brought in to protect the building were attacked.
The disorder came in the aftermath of the mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class just 16 miles north in Southport where three schoolgirls – Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Bebe King, six – were killed. The following day saw riots in Southport where the local mosque was targeted, police officers were injured and widespread damage was caused to buildings in the area.
In the days and weeks that followed, it emerged how outside far-right influences and misinformation played a controlling part in the build up to the disorder. But County Road was the scene of one of the most violent and disruptive riots in the country, with people fearing for not only their businesses, but their lives.
The disorder began at around 8.30pm when missiles were launched at North Wales Police who had been drafted in to support the local force but around 15 riot vans soon raced onto the scene, dispersing the crowd before people reconvened further up the main road close to a branch of KFC. This is when the disorder escalated, with a mixture of Merseyside, Lancashire and North Wales Police officers forming a barricade.
As bin fires were set and bricks were fired at officers, police gradually pushed them further down the road. The masked rioters were pinned back to Home Bargains where they turned their sights on local businesses. First was the Liver Mini Mart, where a dad pleaded with looters from his window not to torch the building as children were upstairs, and then the Spellow Library and Community Hub, where glass was smashed and a blaze quickly lit. Flames were visible inside the building within minutes.
Rioters descended on County Road(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The group of rioters bounced down the road, causing chaos to several shops in their path, stealing cigarettes, vapes and alcohol. But within hours of the riots, after police drove riot vans at rioters and dispersed them in the early hours of Sunday, August 4, people in the community came out in their dozens to help clean up the burnt tarmac, the smashed glass and the smouldering bins.
The first shop targeted, and one of the worst affected, was the Liver Mini Mart. Mohammad Amad took over as manager of the store just one week before the riots broke out and the business was forced to shut for two months.
Photos taken the morning after show the shop ripped apart and stock missing. The door had been broken and windows smashed as rioters climbed in, but in the days that followed people continued to break into the shop through the temporary fixture put over the door.
Speaking to the ECHO five months on from the riots, Mohammad described the night and how it unfolded for him. He said: “My friend rang me round one o’clock [in the afternoon] to warn me about possible trouble and telling me to be careful. I closed the shop at six o’clock [in the evening] and went home. Then at 10.53 that night my friend from across the road sent me a video of people going in the shop. He called me and said they were in the shop. I came down about midnight and police had got rid of them. There was just all the damage left in the shop.”
Liver Mini Mart the morning after the riots
In the video sent to Mohammad by his friend, a man can be seen holding holding an item on fire which is thrown into the shop before someone inside the shop throws it back onto the street. It was after this Spellow Lane library was torched.
The 28-year-old explained how things aren’t much better for him now as he continues to be targeted by thieves and anti-social behaviour following the two month closure. Mohammad claims he is plagued with teenagers stealing from his shop every day but “doesn’t want trouble” with people in the area.
He continued: “Every country has problems but if you don’t stop it now it becomes a bigger problem in the future. I don’t want any trouble.”
Following the destruction of the Liver Mini Mart and the blaze set at the library, rioters moved on to King Store further up the road. Haroon Shamsadin, who works at the shop and lives above it, spoke about the harrowing experience of that night.
He told the ECHO: “I live in the flat upstairs and I was just at home when they came to the shop. They took the shutter off, broke the windows and the door. They took cash, ciggies and vapes, they also took the till. They broke everything.”
The King Store that was ransacked on County Road(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The 19-year-old continued: “I thought they were going to get me and hit me because I’m Muslim. I thought they were going to kill me.”
But speaking about the aftermath, Haroon explained the community supported him and the business, as well as helping clean up the mess caused by the rioting. He said people were coming in apologising on behalf of the thugs who caused the sickening scenes.
King Store’s owner, Ardalan Othman, explained he’s still scared. Living near Rice Lane and owning two shops in the area, he is worried more disorder could erupt at any time. He said: “They didn’t do it for the children killed, they just wanted to rob everything and damage everything. You can see that by what they did to the library and the shops.
“They came, broke things and left. I have felt totally safe in the area since 2019 but since this I don’t feel safe and we just think maybe it will happen again. We didn’t do anything. We just live here and work hard.”
Ardalan Othman, owner of the King Store, that was ransacked on County Road the morning after the disorder(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Another shop targeted in disorder was Best-one, with rioters smashing the bottom pane of glass in the door before climbing in one at a time. Shop manager Anees Ali told the ECHO how those involved went for cigarettes and vapes before leaving a small amount of mess.
The 41-year-old, who has been at the shop for around 15 years, watched the rioters break into the shop on the security cameras and was helpless. He said: “I just watched it, you can’t do anything. It was horrible and a very bad experience. I came straight away.”
But in the aftermath of the riots, he explained how people helped the shop rebuild. He said: “We’re back to normal now. I had a lot of people come in and help, everyone just wanted to help and were back open in a couple of days.”
Best-one store on County Road(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The blaze started at Spellow Library led to an outpouring of support from across the country as well as £250,000 being raised for the renovation of the site. The library has since reopened, with an official ceremony taking place earlier this month. Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, addressed the audience gathered inside the refurbished library ahead of the ribbon cutting.
He said: “On Saturday August 3, we saw the very worst of humankind as this building was set ablaze by a rioting mob with absolutely no thought for the community who cherish the services that it provides. We owe a great debt of gratitude to our emergency services, who put themselves on the line to contain the rioting and prevent the situation from being much, much worse.
“It is important we reflect that, in the aftermath of the dreadful scene, we then saw the very best of people.”
Cllr Robinson said the hub was the “beating heart” of Walton, adding: “After the darkness of the fire, I am delighted to say that we have now let in the light.”
The total number of people arrested by Merseyside Police in connection to the disorder in the summer has now reached 163, with 117 charged and 88 sentenced. Images and footage are still being worked through so please contact police with any information by calling 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.