UK Riots Live Blog

Following Prince Harry's example, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, met emergency service workers and business owners hit by riots in the city of Birmingham to praise them for their response to the mayhem and violence.

In a private meeting, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also heard from the fathers of three young men killed during the violence.

Earlier this week William's father, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla also toured riot hit London. - Reuters

Britain's Prince Harry visited the northern English city of Salford, Greater Manchester, on Thursday (August 18), expressing, according to police officers who met him, his shock at violence suffered by police during the disturbances.

Britain's Press Association quoted PC Andy Sheridan, one of officers who met the royal -- including several who had been injured during the rioting -- as saying the prince was very shocked at the images of the violence.

Harry toured a shopping area in Salford that had been looted during the disturbances.

Speaking after the visit, local people said they were pleased that he had come. - Reuters

Judge sends two men to jail for four years as punishment for using Facebook to attempt to start riots, even though their individual online campaigns were unsuccessful.

Jordan Blackshaw and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan attempted to start the riots in their home towns in the north of England.

Police were alerted to the social networking pages after calls from concerned members of the public.

In court the defendants admitted committing the offences, which can carry a sentence of 10 years. Jailing them for four years, the judge heard that they were of previously good character.

Assistant Chief Constable for Cheshire police, Phil Thompson, said if police had not stepped in and arrested the pair as soon as they were alerted to the Facebook pages, a lot of damage could have been done.

Thompson added that the harsh sentence will act as a deterrent to others who might think they can use social media to start trouble.

Civil liberties campaigners have condemned the sentences, saying they are a knee-jerk reaction to last week's trouble. - Reuters

One of the south London businesses facing a clean up after angry young people did massive damage to it during widespread unrest earlier this month is the Reeves furniture store in Croydon.

The business and premises has been run by one family for five generations but it was reduced to ashes at the height of the unrest, sparked by the police killing of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old Black father.

Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips reports from Croyden.