A dispute by rival youths which erupted into violence has left residents fearing for their safety.

Police were drafted into Manningham, Bradford, yesterday to diffuse tension between the gangs in an area widely regarded as a haunt for drugs dealers.

Friction had escalated between rival gangs which saw a mob attacking a cafe and missiles thrown at cars.

Although officers would not confirm the violence was drug related, local residents claim the hotspot - on the corner of Green Lane and Lumb Lane - was a well-known haunt for users and sellers with deals being carried out in broad daylight.

Officers were called to the Young Lions caf in Lumb Lane after a group of youths pelted it with stones at around 11pm on Thursday. And trouble continued throughout yesterday with police maintaining a high profile in the area through until last night.

Inspector Trevor Gasson, of Toller Lane police, said: "Following Thursday's incident there has been a general disturbance with sporadic incidents occurring."

Yesterday afternoon, gangs took to the street and eyewitnesses told of youths hurling missiles, and others armed with baseball bats.

A team of a dozen police officers was drafted in to bring order to the area and to prevent events escalating.

Community officers met face to face with the youths involved in a bid to quell mounting tension. A police presence remained in the area until 11pm last night.

"It appears that there was a disagreement involving a small number of youths which escalated," said Inspector Gasson.

He said there had been no injuries and no arrests and events were not being linked Wednesday's gang shooting in the nearby Whetley Hill area.

Bradford councillor Qasim Khan, who has run the nearby post office for 11 years, said incidents had left innocent people fearing for their safety.

He said most of the problems stemmed from drug dealers who travelled into Manningham from outside the area.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "On Friday afternoon there were lots of people standing around and the feeling was very tense. They were aggressive and it was intimidating to walk through the area.

"Earlier there was a lot of shouting and stones were thrown. A car was badly smashed up last night."

She added: "Something has to be done before this gets out of hand."

Another local agreed, adding: "These gangs are here until all times of night. People don't want to come to the shops here because they are afraid."

Coun Khan said: "Things have got worse the past few days. A car was smashed up, then the caf and since then there have been gangs throwing stones and bottles. We have seen people walking around here with baseball bats."

"This was a bustling place and then the drugs came in. People are afraid to come here."

A police spokesman said officers left the area at 7pm and the situation remained calm throughout the night. This morning a marked police car was still parked in the area.

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