The Under-Secretary of State has condemned disorder in Middlesbrough on Sunday as "far-right thuggery".

Speaking to The Northern Echo during a visit to Teesside University's campus, Baroness Maeve Sherlock praised the volunteers and community who rallied to clean Middlesbrough the next day.

She called the violence “really shocking” and added it is not representative of the Middlesbrough community or the North East.

Baroness Sherlock said: “This was frankly far-right thuggery, a lot of damage has been done here and it’s really shocking. It should not have happened and this does not represent this community.

“What was wonderful is then what happened on Monday, hundreds of people turned out from the local community to clean up Middlesbrough, and many of them came onto the university campus.(Image: Michael Robinson)

“They came with brushes, they came with gloves, they came to pick things up, they came to put it right, and already now it’s back looking amazing.

"That sense of community spirit is something we can all be proud of, that’s what our country is, that’s what Middlesbrough is.

“They are the people who really speak up for and represent Britain, they’re the people who represent Middlesbrough, not the handful of thugs who came out here wanting to do damage.”

During the disorder on Sunday, two men could be seen stopping cars in the middle of Parliament Road, asking drivers if they “were white,” before allowing them to pass through.(Image: Michael Robinson)

Speaking on this incident, the minister said: “I think some of what we’ve seen across the country, some of that has clearly been racist, some of it has been Islamophobic, some of it has been targeted at our people who happen not to be white, that is completely unacceptable.

“People who act on that basis are criminals, whatever they claim their motivation is does not change the fact that they are criminals.

"Over 400 people have been arrested already, over 120 have been charged, and anyone out there who commits a crime, whether in the streets or online, will be targeted and the Government will make sure that they pay the price for doing that.

“That is not acceptable in this country and it never will be.”

She said she was pleased the government acted quickly to support police, and said the next stage is going after those who have committed crimes.

“We have more capacity in terms of prosecutors, the courts are on standby, swift justice is being dispensed, people have already been arrested and charged, and some are now starting to be sentenced, and people who went out there and committed crimes will now find themselves in jail for long periods of time,” she added

“I hope very much that anyone that would think about doing that will look at that and think again.”(Image: Michael Robinson)

The minister added she was sorry for anyone who has been affected or frightened by the disorder, and that the disorder is not representative of their community or the region.

She said: “Britain is a positive place where we look after our neighbours and care for each other. What we saw in Middlesbrough on Monday, and around the country over the last few days, shows that we are a different kind of country from the one some people would have you believe.”

Videos of the disorder were spread online, while social media platforms were reportedly used to organise the meetings in Hartlepool, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough.

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Baroness Sherlock added she believes the Online Safety Bill is important, but added that social media companies do not have to wait for it to take effect to “do the right thing.”

“We need to make sure that we do not have dangerously irresponsible misinformation put out there which has serious consequences.”