THE bill for dealing with two rival demonstrations in a Yorkshire city is expected to reach almost £350,000.

North Yorkshire Police was among the forces called in to help control rallies by the English Defence League and Unite Against Fascism in the centre of Leeds in October.

Hundreds of officers were brought into the city to act as a barrier between the two groups of protesters, and West Yorkshire Police – which commanded the operation – has now revealed the cost of keeping the peace.

It has calculated that £214,000, plus £21,000 in overtime payments, was needed to police the demonstrations, which saw five people arrested for minor public order offences, while the total cost for other forces who supplied officers on a “mutual aid” basis – including North Yorkshire Police – has been estimated at £110,000.

However, the West Yorkshire force said the money will come out of the existing police budget and, had it not been required for the rallies, would have been used for other purposes.

“This figure clearly represents a significant policing cost, but this demonstration was particularly challenging, as previous events in other cities had seen significant disorder and increased community tensions,” said Chief Superintendent Mark Milsom, who was in charge of the operation. The policing cost to other forces involved has yet to be confirmed as final invoices have not been submitted, with West Yorkshire Police adding that officers from neighbouring police areas were supplied on an overtime basis to ensure their own regions were not left “depleted”.