Violent scenes today in Rochdale as the public demonstrated their extreme anger that Honey G remains in the X Factor, while genuinely talented people haven’t bothered with the career ending puppet show.

The violence was focused on the Drake Street area of the town with missiles and petrol bombs being thrown.

Shop windows were smashed and street furniture damaged. Police were forced to use riot tactics not seen for some time in the town, including water cannons and rubber bullets.

One of the rioters was quoted as saying “We came to trash the place but it looked like someone had beaten us to it”

The violence was finally quelled when the Strictly Come Dancing results show started on BBC1.

Initial reports indicate somewhere in the region of £25,000 of improvementswere made to the Drake Street area.