Children on remand up by 23 per cent

The number of children held on remand rose by almost a quarter during the riots.

A total of 577 children under 18 were held on remand in August, a 23 per cent increase on the 469 held in July, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said. The total number of children in custody rose by 129 in August to 2,106.

Campaigners warned the figures suggested remand had been overused during the violence. Other MoJ figures reveal that the prison population in England and Wales has fallen for the first time in six weeks. The number of prisoners being held fell by 122, taking the total to 87,551, 1,370 short of the usable operational capacity, the MoJ said.