England’s football and cricket teams found themselves caught up in Britain’s riot madness.

Fabio Capello’s footballers were waiting to hear if their first friendly of the season, against Holland at Wembley on Wednesday, will be called off because of trouble across London, including in nearby Harlesden and Brent Cross.

The cricketers, who are due to begin the third Test against India at Edgbaston on the same day, were locked in their  Birmingham city centre hotel as a safety precaution as trouble flared on the streets outside.

Destruction: London remains in the grip of riots

West Ham and Charlton postponed the League Cup ties they were due to host on Tuesday on police advice as the disorder spread.

West Ham said in a statement: ‘The club were contacted this evening and told all major public events in London were to be rearranged because of the need to focus police resources elsewhere.’

Police will hold meetings with the Football Association before making a decision over whether they have the resources to deal with a massive Wembley crowd for the England game.

More than 70,000 tickets have been sold for the game, but allowing hoardes of football fans to gather in an area already scarred by riots poses significant security risks.

The trouble is putting a massive strain on the  Metropolitan Police, and a spokesman said: ‘Every football match is subject to some form of assessment around police resources and this game is no different.’

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