The Meadow Well riots were a series of riots that took place during September 1991, starting on the Meadow Well council estate in North Shields, east of Newcastle, England, in response to a police enquiry, specifically regarding youths. The riots subsequently spread as far as Benwell, Scotswood, and Elswick in Newcastle upon Tyne, and Pennywell in Sunderland. They are regarded as some of the worst riots in British history. Background The bulk of the Meadow Well Estate was built in the 1930s to accommodate low income residents who were displaced by slum clearances in nearby North Shields. It was originally called The Ridges, but in 1968 the local authority changed its name to Meadow Well in an attempt to improve the image of the dilapidated estate. The estate was considered a no-go area for many non-residents and police alike, long before the riots of 1991 occurred. Riots Meadow Well North Shields had been experiencing economic downturn since the 1980s, and the miners' strikes in 1984-5 had created tension between the working class residents of the northeast, and the Conservative government which had been in power since 1979. Although the tension had been brewing for decades, the riots themselves were finally triggered by the deaths of two local youths, Dale Robson and Colin Atkins, who were killed fleeing the police at high speed when the stolen car in which they were joyriding crashed. The prosecution at the subsequent trial of those accused of being involved in the rioting said the rioters were "gripped by a hatred of the police". Ostensibly in response to such reports of police brutality, locals began looting shops on the estate and setting buildings on fire. These included a youth centre, a health centre, and an electricity sub-station, as well as extensive vandalism to numerous buildings and vehicles. Rioters forced Asian shopkeepers out of their homes before setting them on fire shouting, "Let's burn out the Pakis!" Cars and derelict houses were set on fire and a makeshift barrier was erected in the centre of the estate, which was removed by police. Police and fire crews attending the scene were pelted with bricks. It was estimated that at its height 400 people were involved. At least 50 people were arrested. Other suburbs On 12 September, the riots spread from Meadow Well to the suburbs on the west end of Newcastle upon Tyne, as businesses in Benwell, Scotswood