The Government has pledged to give "whatever assistance it can" to ease tensions and bring a halt to the violence in Bradford.

The Home Secretary's promise came during an emergency meeting with MPs from the city yesterday after it had witnessed some of the worst ever rioting seen on British streets.

David Blunkett heard appeals for the police to be given the necessary funding, equipment and powers to ensure that the weekend's events were never repeated.

After the hour-long meeting, Mr Blunkett said there could be "no excuse whatsoever" for scenes in which hundreds of mainly Asian youths attacked officers with bricks, rocks and petrol bombs on Saturday night.

He added: "However, I am convinced that the people of Bradford are best placed to develop solutions to the problems that led to Saturday's violence.

"And I know from my meeting today that Bradford's MPs are committed to doing all in their power to help the city heal its divisions."

And he said: "The Government too stands ready to offer whatever assistance it can to ease community tensions and bring to an end the mindless cycle of destruction which has blighted one of our great cities."

Terry Rooney, MP for Bradford North, said a small minority of troublemakers had been behind the rioting and said they must be brought to justice.

He said: "Less than two per cent of the Asian population of Bradford was involved on Saturday.

"As in the white community the vast majority of people are law-abiding citizens. The small minority have caused havoc for everyone else.

"We've got to root them out, get them banged up and show people that justice will apply to anybody that engages in this mindless thuggery.

"There is a short-term problem that we have to get over to ensure people feel safe and comfortable in the city.

"One way of doing that is making sure the police can have the maximum presence possible and that budgetary restraints don't come into it.

"The weekend's policing operation was enormously expensive and that has drained the force's coffers."

Gerry Sutcliffe, MP for Bradford South, said Mr Blunkett had listened sympathetically to proposals to deal with outbreaks of violence including bringing in water cannons.

"For violence to go on for 11 hours is not acceptable. It brings more trouble as more people get involved.

"We want short sharp solutions to crowd disturbances."

And Chris Leslie, MP for Shipley, said: "In the short term we need to root out the criminals involved and make sure that swift justice is delivered."

He said he did not want to criticise the police but added that the techniques used had not dispersed the crowds quickly enough. He said that high visibility policing needed to continue throughout the district in the near future.