16,000 Cops On London's Streets As Rioting Worsens; Violence Spreads To Other Cities

'Ordinary people have had their lives turned upside down by this mindless thuggery'; PM promises 'even more robust police action'

LONDON — A wave of violence and looting raged across London and spread to three other major British cities on Tuesday, as authorities struggled to contain the country's worst unrest since race riots set the capital ablaze in the 1980s.

In London, groups of young people rampaged for a third straight night, setting buildings, vehicles and garbage dumps alight, looting stores and pelting police officers with bottles and fireworks. The spreading disorder was an unwelcome warning of the possibility of violence for leaders organizing the 2012 Summer Olympics in less than a year.

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