Rioters continually regrouped and dispersed, forcing police to chase them. Crowds of around 500 assembled in the city centre and the atmosphere quickly turned menacing.

During the disturbances the three men – the brothers and a friend – were involved in a hit-and-run incident in the Winson Green area as they were protecting their car wash business after the previous night’s violence. They were taken to hospital but all subsequently died.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: ‘The incident occurred just after 1am in Dudley Road. West Midlands Police have launched a murder inquiry, arrested one man in connection with the incident and recovered a vehicle from near the scene which will be examined by forensics experts.’