With some tabloids claiming police are considering football banning orders after investigations revealed a connection between rioters and football hooligan organizations, the opening of the football season has stoked worries of more upheaval.

Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated that police should remain on "high alert" going into the weekend.

The prime minister visited the special operations room of the Metropolitan Police in Lambeth on Friday. "My message to the police and all of those that are charged with responding to disorder is maintain that high alert," he added.

According to Sir Keir, "the swift justice that has been dispensed in our courts" and the presence of police officers on the streets have "real impact" on preventing fresh violence.

The disorder initially began in the wake of a mass stabbing attack in Southport that killed three young girls on 29 July, and injured several others.

Some 741 people have now been arrested over rioting, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), of which 302 have been charged.

The "community spirit" that put an end to the rioting over the past week has been commended by the King.

The king urged harmony and expressed his "deep gratitude" to the police for bringing the law back into order.

"In these calls, His Majesty was updated on the current situation and expressed his heartfelt thanks to the police and emergency services for all they are doing to restore peace in those areas that have been affected by violent disorder," said a spokesman for the Palace.

The King is also said to have "shared how he had been greatly encouraged by the many examples of community spirit that had countered the aggression and criminality from a few with the compassion and resilience of the many".

The spokesperson added: "It remains His Majesty's hope that shared values of mutual respect and understanding will continue to strengthen and unite the nation."

On Friday evening around a thousand people gathered for a counter-protest against several hundred anti-immigration demonstrators in Belfast.

A heavy police presence and barriers kept the two groups apart at Belfast City Hall.