East End gangs clash with sticks and spades

Terrified locals cowered as two gangs of black and Asian youths armed with screwdrivers, spades, poles and sticks engaged in a running battle through east London.

These pictures, taken by a passing photographer, show the dramatic confrontation yesterday afternoon in streets near Columbia Road, home to the Sunday morning flower market.

In one picture, a youth threatens another with a screwdriver, while in the other, youths, some masked, run down the road, with a spade, a stick and, bizarrely, a gumboot, as weapons.

Residents said the fracas, which lasted around 20 minutes and involved at least 10 youths, appeared to have its origins in a dispute between a local Asian man and some youths whom he accused of vandalism at his property.

In the heart of the East End, the area is popular with incomers who pay up to a million pounds for terrace houses while a number of cafés and shops have sprung up around the flower market.