Riot police clashed with gangs of youths throwing fireworks, bricks and bottles during Bonfire Night celebrations in Edinburgh.

       Footage on social media showed projectiles thrown at patrol cars and officers lined up in streets in the Niddrie, Sighthill and Moredun areas of the city, where violence also flared in 2023.

       Dozens of police officers were seen in one video charging down a residential street, followed by police vans.

       Police Scotland, which was handed extra stop-and-search powers during the disorder, said the violence was “wholly unacceptable”.

       In one video, one group appeared to push a firework through the letterbox of a house before it went off inside.

       In another, a gang could be seen hurling fireworks into a shop believed to be Sugar and Treats on Craigour Drive.

       In Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, police said a 33-year-old male pedestrian was hit by a van driven by a group who set off a firework in a skatepark before fleeing the scene.

       Pockets of Glasgow also experienced disorder, with groups attacking fire services. There were no injuries reported.

       ‘Outstanding courage’

       Asst Chief Const Tim Mairs, gold commander for Operation Moonbeam, praised the “outstanding courage” of the emergency service workers “who put themselves in harm’s way to keep communities safe”.

       He added: “Their actions ensured that some of the challenging scenes we witnessed this year did not escalate into mass disorder, on the scale of what we experienced last year.

       “Nevertheless, the levels of violence and aggression police officers, fire service and ambulance service personnel faced in some areas was wholly unacceptable and a significant investigative response is now underway to identify each and every one of those involved and bring them to justice.”

       Mr Mairs said information received from the public had allowed police to take “preventative enforcement action” to stop crimes before they were committed.

       Scotland this year introduced its first “fireworks control zones”, which apply to parts of Edinburgh and Glasgow from Nov 1 to 10. Those convicted of setting of fireworks in the zones face a fine of up to ￡5,000 and six months in jail.