90 people were arrested after violent thugs brought Birmingham to a standstill yesterday as they rampaged through the city centre, brandishing sticks and hurling bricks at massed ranks of riot police.

It was the second time in a month that rival rallies by the the right-wing English Defence League and socialist protesters sent scared shoppers scattering in search of safety.

At the height of the trouble a gang of yobs laid seige to Bennett’s pub on Bennett’s Hill, where cops had corralled more than 100 boozed-up protesters inside.

Last night, a Birmingham MP criticised the West Midlands Police operation designed to contain trouble and called for an inquiry into their handling of the explosive situation.

Cops had been aware for four weeks that the English Defence League planned a second rally in the city, after an August 8 protest ended in violence and arrests.

But negotiations with the group counted for nothing when the protesters ignored an agreed schedule, and made their way into the New Street area to confront anti-fascist rivals.

What followed was more than three hours of running battles in the streets. Terrified shoppers locked themselves inside stores and cafes as they tried to avoid the fighting.

By the end of the afternoon, cops had arrested more than 90 people as they struggled to prevent the protests spilling over.

Trouble began when members of the English Defence League, who had travelled from Luton and Bristol, met up at the Figure of Eight pub in the Broad Street entertainment area.

Although their protest against Islamic extremism had been agreed with police to take place at 3.30pm in Lancaster Square, they gathered at 12.30pm and started downing pints of lager.