BBC reporters flee on foot as radio car torched in Salford

BBC reporters were forced to flee on foot after their radio car was torched in Salford last night (9 August), as a fourth night of rioting brought yet more attacks on journalists and violence spread to Manchester, Birmingham and Gloucester.

The radio car, BBC Manchester's only one, was attacked and battered with bricks before being set on fire. The two reporters in the vehicle, Richard Stead and Ruth Clegg, both got away safely on foot after the car Clegg had driven to the location in was also set on fire.

Stead and Clegg were alone in the car when it came under attack, with security guards on their way to join them when they were forced to leave.

John Ryan, managing editor of BBC Radio Manchester, told Journalism.co.uk it was "hard to predict just how the situation would turn out in Salford".

"It's always very easy with hindsight, but the situation turned very quickly.

"I don't think there was any sense, despite the obvious level of violence elsewhere, that things would turn the way they did."

Ryan said that the station had "made the right call" yesterday in instructing Stead and Clegg to leave the scene as soon as they came under attack.

"Cars can be replaced," he said. "The protection of our journalists is much more important."

He added said that he was "happy that we made adequate preparation and briefed the reporters properly".

Stead recorded the sound of the radio car coming under attack and played it this afternoon (10 August) on BBC Radio 4's The World at One. Loud bangs are heard as bricks are thrown at the van and a rioter can be heard telling another that they are trying to set it on fire.

There was rioting in both Salford and central Manchester last night, with 110 people arrested. Greater Manchester Police assistant chief constable Garry Shewan called the violence "sickening" and said that rioters caught on film would be pursued.

Salford is the home of the BBC's new broadcasting centre, MediaCityUK. While the BBC's News team will be integrated into Broadcasting House in central London, Salford will play home to the corporation's sports and children's teams and Radio 5 Live.

Mary Hockaday, the head of the BBC multimedia newsroom, said the "unpredictable nature and wide geographical spread" of the fast-moving riots had made it a "challenge getting rapidly to the various locations across London and around England and dealing with the safety issues for our teams on the ground".

Last night's attacks continue a worrying trend of violence against journalists during the riots around the country. So far, camera crews and photographers have borne the brunt of the violence, presumably due to the need to carry conspicuous equipment.

On Monday night, a BBC van had its back window smashed in during rioting in Croydon. Producer Paraic O'Brien, who was driving the van when it was attacked, told Journalism.co.uk that the rioters were "definitely targeting journalists".

Teams from Sky News and ITV have also been attacked during the four nights of rioting, although no journalists are reported to have been seriously injured.

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