Counter-protesters have turned out in UK cities amid warnings of at least 100 far-right marches being planned for Wednesday night.

People were on the streets of towns and cities including Bristol, London, Liverpool, Birmingham and Brighton.

More than 6,000 specialist police had been mobilised amid fears of a repeat of the violence seen around the country over the past week.

Some businesses closed early and others chose to board up windows ahead of an anticipated 8pm start time.

Solicitors and other agencies who work with asylum seekers had been warned they could be targeted.

But as the night progressed it appeared the mass far-right protests had failed to materialise, with counter-demonstrators instead taking the initiative.

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The Stand Up To Racism group tweeted photos of the counter-protests alongside the words “this is what a mass movement looks like”.