Staff at the Evening Leader in Wrexham worked through the night during two nights of rioting in the town.

Local residents and refugees clashed on a housing estate on the outskirts of the town on Sunday and Monday night in what were thought to be racially-motivated incidents.

Editor Richard Williams said the paper had sold out in parts of Wrexham as readers clamoured for information.

He said: “The national media has been quite slow on the uptake and we have been the only newspaper covering the story.

“We had three pages of coverage on Monday and five on Tuesday and have been working carefully with the police.”

The paper has also managed to get the interviews the nationals are now chasing, thanks to a straightforward diary job.

Staff from the paper attended a meeting of the local refugee and asylum group and were able to carry out a range of interviews.

Richard said: “From what may have appeared to be a dreary job we were able to get ‘scoop’ interviews. They were very willing to speak to us and give their side of the story.”

Following the violence a team of journalists from the paper has been out in the area speaking to local people, many with families who are terrified.

Richard said: “We have tried to strike a balance, by reporting on what is going on and also what is being done, what the police are doing and trying to reassure readers.”

He praised the work of his staff, in particluar picture editor Rick Matthews.

He said: “Rick was in at 7am on Monday picture editing photographs from Sunday night, and was still out on the streets taking pictures in Wrexham at 1am the next morning.

“There are some very dramatic pictures and we are the only media with them.”

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