Thousands have turned up at a rally against the police and crime bill, which includes plans to give officers more powers to control demonstrations.

Avon and Somerset police tonight condemned what they called disgraceful scenes and had to call on neighboring forces for help.

The home secretary says the violence is unacceptable.

Thuggery and disorder.

Our correspondent Andrew Plant is in Bristol tonight and the center of this report I have in a protest against new police powers.

It was soon police themselves who became the target vans and a police car set on fire.

Fireworks thrown into the crowd as around 1000 protesters gathered in Bristol City center in what has been police say the worst violence the city has seen in years.

There's a royal police blocking off what is the central police station here in Bristol that you can see at the end of the road.

They've also blocked us now at the end of this city Centre Street, but also the side roads to and they're doing it from behind.

But there's still about 1000 people in here and Now they're being left with nowhere to go.

Protesters here, holding banners concerned, they say that the UK is becoming a police state that killed the bill.

March started in the early afternoon, but as night fell, the clashes began.

Projectiles thrown at officers in riot gear.

We saw several people with head injuries being helped from the crowd, and I think it's horrible and I agree with the close of the protesters.

But I think this is going to do anybody any good.

Several officers have been injured, some reported to have broken bones.

The chair of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation said people's right to protest had been hijacked by protesters.

Hell bent on violence.

Well, the crowd hasn't grown much, but it hasn't got much smaller either.

You can see police still blocking the end of the road there.

And they're still defending this central police station here in Bristol.

But they've opened up the back roads so people can start to move away.

But at the moment, it doesn't see clear exactly how the situation of Bristol is going to end.

Andrew, thank you for that.