A protest has erupted at the gates of Downing Street in the wake of the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport as demonstrators throw objects at riot police.

Officers have detained a man wearing a balaclava after wrestling him off the road and onto the pavement.

Beer cans and glass bottles are being launched at a line of police, while flares have been thrown on to the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.

A few hundred protesters were heard chanting “Rule Britannia”, “save our kids” and “stop the boats”.

A protest has erupted at the gates of Downing Street in the wake of the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport as demonstrators throw objects at riot policePA

Demonstrators have been taking part in the Enough Is Enough protest in response to the frenzied stabbing attack in Southport on Monday at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.

The attack saw Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, fatally stabbed.

Eight other children were also stabbed, with five children and two adults left in a critical condition.

This evening, protesters threw cans at police outside Downing Street, while other demonstrators chanted Tommy Robinson’s name around The Cenotaph.

Protesters also shouted abuse at nearby pro-Ukrainian demonstrators and police.

Some campaigners attempted to kick down a fence before being confronted by riot police.