There is no indication when the 1,000 people crammed into the sealed-off Oxford Circus area will be released. 5.50pm 31 people have now been arrested. The London ambulance service said that 15 people have sustained minor injuries, with 10 taken to hospital. 5.40pm Officers, some on horseback and some wielding batons and shields, exchange blows with demonstrators at several points around Oxford Circus. Riot police clash violently with protesters in the flashpoint area of Holles Street near Oxford Circus.
Several protesters emerge from the melee with bloodied heads.
5.20pm Two of those arrested so far were detained for causing alleged criminal damage in a Sainsbury's store in Victoria Street, central London. IndyMedia reports that the police have requested the closure of Bond Street tube. 5.15pm Protesters have broken through police lines at Holles Street, just off Oxford Street. Police charged protesters with shields and hit some with batons. A group of around 500 protesters are making their way west down Oxford Street to Marble Arch, police said.