945 jailed over August 2011's riots

Almost 1,000 people have been jailed for an average of more than a year following last summer's riots (PA)

Almost 1,000 people have been jailed for an average of more than a year following last summer's riots.

Some 2,710 people had appeared before the courts by the start of last month following the looting and violence which spread across English cities last August, the Ministry of Justice said.

A total of 945 of the 1,483 found guilty and sentenced for their role in the riots were jailed immediately, with an average sentence of 14.2 months.

This was much higher than the average 3.7-month sentence handed down to those convicted by magistrates but sentenced at any court for similar offences in England and Wales in 2010, the figures showed.

Overall, more than half (53%) of those before the courts over the riots were aged under 20, half (49%) were facing burglary charges, and one in five (21%) were accused of violent disorder.

Justice minister Crispin Blunt said: "The courts, judges and the probation and prison services have worked hard to make sure that those who attacked their own communities during the public disorder last August have faced justice quickly.

"They played a key part in stopping the riots from spreading further by delivering swift and firm justice, and these statistics make clear that the disgraceful behaviour innocent communities endured last summer is wholly intolerable."

PA