A community has been left reeling as it tries to come to terms with unrest which saw hundreds take to the streets in a night of violence and disorder.
As the dust settled on a night of chaos which shocked Hartlepool, residents came together to help clean up their neighbourhoods and urged others not to judge the town too harshly.
Small puffs of smoke could still be seen escaping from a burnt out police car on Dent Road in Hartlepool this morning (August 1). Just hours earlier, it was up in flames.
The hollowed out car, a vivid depiction and reminder of last night's disturbances, is just minutes away from Murray Road - now eerily quiet other than the whirr of sweepers clearing bricks, rocks and debris which were thrown at a blockade of police officers.
But how did it all begin?
At around 8pm, Cleveland Police said they were made aware of a "protest" in the town centre which led to officers dressed in riot gear and police dogs pushing back people armed with everything from metal rods, wooden blanks and bricks.
Eight people were arrested and a full investigation is now underway.
Currently, police believe the unrest was linked to a stabbing which took place in Southport on Monday (July 29), where three young girls were killed whilst attending a Taylor Swift dance class.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were fatally stabbed on Monday when a knifeman entered the dance class on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside.
A 17-year-old boy who is charged with the murders of the girls and has now been named as Axel Rudakubana after a judge lifted reporting restrictions.
Those in Hartlepool who witnessed the violence that broke out yesterday evening have now spoken out as some fear for their safety.
One witness was Claire Dickson, aged 39.
For her, what started as a crowd of people ended as a nightmare.
Claire said: "I just heard screaming and shouting, so came downstairs to see a riot was going on. At first it was fine, but then it changed.
"There were both adults and children throwing eggs, bricks, bottles. They were shouting 'Tommy Robinson' and 'Save Our Children'.
"I feel petrified, I want to move out of the area now. It's an absolute nightmare. If you are from Hartlepool you know that this is not the end of it."
Rostam Abdulkadir, a 43-year-old shop worker, said he brought down the shutters as disorder broke out on Wednesday evening.
The father-of-four from Kurdistan, who has lived in the UK for more than 20 years, said: “They burned a police car for nothing.
“I don’t have any problem with anyone, I have lived here for 21 years, I respect everyone.
“The excuse (for the disorder) is maybe they don’t like foreign people, so they’re making excuses to attack us.”
Amidst the fallout, the Salaam Community Centre opened in the early hours for volunteers and those who wanted to come together and join in with a clean up of the surrounding streets.
Inside was the centres manager Nancy Powt, 37, who was helping to organise clean ups for Elliott Street, Derwent Street, Dent Street and Lowthian Road.
Sipping on tea and eating biscuits, dozens came together to happily don a hi-vis jacket and march around the area and pick up debris left on roadsides and pathways.
Nancy said: "We had a lot of people asking us how can they help after they heard what had happened. So, we asked everyone to come in this morning to come together and support each other.
"We want this to be a safe space. This is a community centre - people should not be frightened of coming here."
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This sentiment was echoed by those who had come along to lend a hand. Val Yuill, 70, was born and has lived in Hartlepool most of her life. She travelled in from Hart Village to pick up debris and "show solidarity".
Val added: "I want to let people know that Hartlepool is a good place - it's not all bad. There is deprivation, and I understand that, but violence is not the answer.
"It saddens me to see what the area has become."
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