New Zealanders in London are trying to avoid the rioting which is spreading across the English city, and now into the country's second largest city, Birmingham.

New Zealanders in London are trying to avoid the rioting which is spreading across the English city, and now into the country's second largest city, Birmingham.

London has entered its third night of disorder, with rioting spreading from Tottenham to Brixton, Hackney, Peckham, Enfield and Walthamstow, among other areas.

The violence started after a protest on Saturday against the police shooting of Mark Duggan, 29, escalated into a riot, with homes torched and two police cars and a double-decker bus set ablaze.

It's the worst such violence in London for years, less than 12 months before the British capital hosts the Olympics.

More than 200 people have been arrested, and police are promising to use London's extensive CCTV footage to make further arrests.

The disorder has now spread to Birmingham, with West Midlands Police reporting windows have been smashed and property stolen from shops in the city.

"Things are getting scary"


Aucklander Isla McKechnie, 25, who has been living in London for a year, had debated with her colleagues whether it was safe to leave her Clapham Junction office after work today.

When she walked to her home in Clapham Old Town she said there had been a police presence, but the rioting had not reached the area yet.

Now the rioting is moving in around the suburb, with reports 200 rioters are at the end of her street.

Ms McKechnie said she has not seen the rioters but is not leaving her home. She said her flatmate is stuck in the neighbouring suburb of Balham and cannot get home.

"We're getting pretty tense about it now, things are getting scary," she said. "It's well and truly in our neighbourhood now."

Her boss told her "hundreds" of looters are now streaming past her work with stolen goods. The BBC is reporting the Curry's store, an electronic retailer, on her street has been broken into, 50m from where she works.

"It is concerning but most people are taking the approach of getting home, staying away from the affected areas and waiting to see how it will develop. It hasn't been random violence so far, so much as random destruction," Ms McKechnie said.

"Because of the widespread nature of the rioting - the spread of it - it almost feels a little siege-like; though obviously the fear isn't for personal safety but for property and there's a real sense of waiting to see where this is going to end."

"The Kiwi community have all been calling around making sure people are safe at home and the general feeling now, is that this is opportunistic rioting."

One Kiwi, who didn't want to be named, told nzherald.co.nz she had "never been more terrified", as there were a "huge group of masked guys outside my house".

"Carnivalesque" mood

New Zealander Bevan Kay who lives in Hackney near where today's rioting began, said it had been hard to get home from work as both the underground train and bus routes were affected.

"Walking home there were hundreds of people also having to find their way home on foot," he said.

"Everyone was relaxed and just making their way as efficiently as possible. Everyone was calm. Besides the number of people and the odd siren the street was subdued."

Mr Kay said there had been a "carnivalesque" mood about and people appeared excited by the events, with people cycling between the "hot spots" with cameras and walking around with beers.

"As you can imagine it is hard to reconcile leaving home for work - having ironed my shirt and drunk a cup of coffee - to return ten hours later and see people swarming everywhere, helicopters, smoke and sirens."

Former Radio New Zealand journalist Willy Flockton told Morning Report streets in Peckham were strewn with broken glass and bricks.

Mr Flockton said a menswear store had been looted in the south London suburb, and people were running past with stolen clothes.

"All of the window displays ... all the clothes are gone, there are smouldering clothes on the footpaths around that area, there's a lot broken glass, a lot of broken bricks, and crowds of people standing around just waiting to see what happens next."