As you’ll have seen in the news, there has been violent disorder across the country over the weekend and into the start of this week. We know this can be frightening to witness, and anxiety might be high for people living in the communities affected.

We would always recommend contacting the police if you’re worried about violence or crime in your community, but we also want to highlight that we are here to support you if you’re concerned you might be being targeted or at risk as a result of the riots.

We have a zero-tolerance policy around hate crime and we will work with other agencies to make sure that any incidents are dealt with swiftly and appropriately to keep you safe.

You can report any concerns by calling our customer services team on 0300 456 2531, or filling in the customer contact form on our website. If you’re in immediate danger, call 999 and ask to speak to the police.

We’re also committed to tackling disturbances caused by antisocial behaviour, and we’d encourage you to report it using our website so we can address it. You can also phone us to let us know about antisocial behaviour on the number above. Please also report any damage or vandalism using the antisocial behaviour form, so we can address it as soon as possible.

We know that for a lot of people, the riots and disturbances in local communities is causing a lot of distress and worry. If you’re feeling anxious and you need someone to talk to, the following organisations can help:

Samaritans – anonymous support, 24/7: call 116 123

SHOUT – anonymous support via text message: text SHOUT to 85258

Hub of Hope – find services local to you: https://hubofhope.co.uk/

Black Minds Matter – mental health support for the Black community: https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/

Muslim Community Helpline – support for Muslims across the UK: https://muslimcommunityhelpline.org.uk/

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) – resources to support people with their mental health: https://www.thecalmzone.net/ (CALM also have a suicide prevention helpline, call 0800 58 58 58 between 5pm and midnight or visit their website to connect via live chat or WhatsApp)

You can also find helpful hints and tips from Mental Health UK about coping with news anxiety by clicking here: https://mentalhealth-uk.org/blog/how-to-cope-with-news-anxiety/