‘Mischief Night’ has seen vandals trash building sites, smash the windows of family homes and set fire to mattresses in the street.
Emergency services in north west England said they were scrambled to 34 deliberate fires and three firework incidents, while three groups of officers were attacked.
Police officers and fire crews were also pelted with eggs as they rushed to deal with incidents across Merseyside and Lancashire last night.
One video shows the moment masked youths attack a house in Stockbridge Village, Merseyside by hurling stones and eggs.
Another attack on a building site in Garston where workers are constructing homes for the disabled resulted in £70,000 worth of damage.
Youths were also seen tipping a car on its side near Ormskirk Station before more vehicles windows were smashed in Aughton.
Mischief Night, often referred to as ‘Mizzy Night’ or ‘Trick Night’, is a tradition originally marked by children and teenagers in the USA and Canada.
A ‘Mischief Night’ attack in Garston, Lancashire, saw youths do £70,000 of damage to a building site where flats for disabled residents are being constructed
Police were called to the assisted living development in King Street yesterday evening
Site manager Craig McKibbin said the gang that caused the damage also threw bricks and stones at police officers and the fire brigade in a frenzy, but it is believed that the police managed to chase them off
It is observed on October 30, the night before Halloween, in some places, and November 4, the day before Bonfire Night, in different locations across Britain.
Mischief Night vandalism has been more of an issue in the north of England in recent years.
Just before 10pm yesterday, Merseyside Fire and Rescue said they had been attacked multiple times and responded to more than 30 fires, most involving wheelie bins.
A force spokesman tweeted: ‘Over the last 24 hours, our crews have attended 34 deliberate secondary fires.
‘There have been 3 attacks on crews and 3 incidents involving fireworks. It’s been an extremely busy night. Our control staff, advocates & operational staff have worked tirelessly.’
This is the moment masked youths are pictured on CCTV hurling objects at a family home in Stockbridge Village, Merseyside
The yobs ran off after the attack, which was one of nearly 40 across the region last night
This is just some of the damage done by youths who attacked a home in Stockbridge Village, Merseyside last night
Another car is pictured this morning after it was targeted in Kirkby
There have been no reported injuries but hundreds took to social media claiming last night was the ‘worst Mischief Night ever’.
Yobs are believed to have caused £70,000 in damages to a building site where flats for disabled residents are being built in Garston, Lancashire.
Police were called to the assisted living development in King Street yesterday evening.
They found equipment on fire, windows smashed, and eggs thrown at cars, buildings and pedestrians.
Building boss Craig McKibbin, managing director of Kingsmen Construction, was called out to the site in Garston, Liverpool, last night after chaos broke out.
Mr McKibbin, from Liverpool, said: ‘Our infrared security cameras and CCTV triggered security last night, by which point local residents had already called the fire brigade.
‘By the time I arrived, I saw all of the smashed plasterboard and windows.
‘I’d say it was around £20,000 worth of initial damage, but with the cost and delay it will probably run to £70,000, with extra security and time costs, which is a waste of money.
‘I’ve been doing this job for about 30 years now, and you do get the odd window smashed, but it has never been to this extent before. This is the mindless havoc Mischief Night has caused.’
The houses, which were being built in partnership with Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Housing Trust, were set to consist of 12 self-contained apartments for people with disabilities.
Retired police officer John Green had his car smashed in Southdene last night amid a string of attacks
Mr McKibbin said the gang that caused the damage also threw bricks and stones at police officers and the fire brigade in a frenzy, but it is believed that the police managed to chase them off.
The damage is expected to take a huge toll on the building work, because the site now needs extra security for safety.
Local reports suggest mischief night caused misery across Merseyside with emergency services attacked, car windows smashed, vehicles tipped over and more than 30 fires set alight in the streets.
Mr McKibbin added: ‘The area was looking great after its regeneration and it was one of the last in the project to get done, but this gang have completely messed up the place.
A bus stop in Kirkby is pictured with the glass smashed in this morning after it was targeted last night
‘We just have to rectify the damage and make the place safe again – we’re getting more security guards to patrol the site tonight.’
Shocking CCTV footage also showed a gang of masked thugs attack a home in Stockbridge Village last night.
The video, captured shortly after 8pm, shows around eight people, believed to be teenagers, with their faces covered, approaching the house quickly.
One member then runs up to the front door and strikes and kick right to the middle of it.
Others can be seen throwing objects in the direction of the house from the middle of the front garden before a second male runs to the front door again and kicks it a second time.
Although the attack lasts around just five seconds, the vandals are believed to have cost over £1,000 worth of damage.
In Skelmersdale an underpass was set on fire and a car had its windows smashed in
A car was also tipped over by youths at Ormskirk Station in West Lancashire
It came two hours after officers and fire crews were attacked with eggs in the area.
A spokesperson for the fire service said on Twitter: ‘Our teams working with @MerseyPolice to keep young people safe across #Merseyside tonight have just come under attack from a group of youths throwing eggs in Stockbridge Village.’
In another incident, multiple cars belonging to residents at a Kirkby tower block were trashed by thugs leaving many with smashed windows.
Pictures of the damage were captured by the Liverpool Echo, who reported that almost every window on around seven or eight cars had been smashed all over the streets surround Gaywood Heights in Southdene.
Retired police officer John Green was one of the people affected and said that the cars were attacked shortly before 8pm.
Another resident said that she wasn’t able to get out to work after the cars were smashed because there was ‘glass everywhere’.
A car was also tipped over by youths at Ormskirk Station in West Lancashire.
A car is pictured with its window smashed nearby in Merseyside
The group are then believed to have boarded a train to Town Green in Aughton where more cars were damaged.
Police were given special dispersal powers as a result of the incidents and extra officers were sent to the area.
A short time later, police confirmed that five children had been detained.
On Facebook, a spokesman for the force said: ‘Following the issues in Aughton this evening a group of youths have been detained.
‘It has been confirmed that they were not responsible for the damage but are clearly at risk so five have been taken to our designated place of safety.
‘Five sets of parents will soon be getting contacted to collect their children following assessments from children and well being services.
‘A further male, well known to local patrols, has been issued with a dispersal notice banning him from the area.’
In Skelmersdale an underpass was set on fire and a car had its windows smashed in.
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police also confirmed that two children were ‘taken to a place of safety’ and that a dispersal zone had been put in place in the area.
In a statement on Facebook, the force said: ‘So far this evening we have had had this fire set in one of the Tanhouse underpasses, a private motor vehicle has been badly damaged and a window smashed.
‘Two youths have been taken to the place of safety and a dispersal power has been authorised for the Tanhouse and Digmoor area.
‘This dispersal power will be in place until 06:45 hrs 31/10/2019.’
Earlier in the evening fire crews were scrambled to wheelie bins and mattresses on fire in Lower Breck Road in Anfield.
In response to the incidents Lauren Woodward, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) Station Manager for Arson and Investigation, said ‘MFRS staff have come under attack four times this week when carrying out their duties, three of these occurred on Wednesday 30th October – this will not be tolerated. Attacks on our firefighters are not fun, they have serious consequences.
‘If a fire engine is damaged on the way to an incident, it may not be able to continue – this could have life-changing consequences. A
‘n attack on the fire service is an attack on your community. Fire engines carry CCTV and footage will be passed to Merseyside Police.
‘MFRS attended 34 deliberately started secondary fires in the 24 hours to 11pm on Wednesday 30th October, the majority of which involved wheelie bins or rubbish.
‘We also attended a number of incidents where fireworks being used to target properties – these incidents will be investigated by ourselves and Merseyside Police.
‘Deliberately started fires like this are a huge drain on already stretched Fire Service resources.
‘What may seem like a bit of harmless fun to some can have life changing consequences and puts entire communities at risk.
‘If firefighters are responding to a wheelie bin fire or illegal bonfire, it prevents them from responding to another incident – they cannot be in two places at once. A
‘Attending such fires may delay our response to a life threatening incident.’
She paid tribute to her colleagues, adding: ‘Last night was an extremely busy night for Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and I would like to thank all of our operational crews, fire control operators and prevention staff who were out on the ground – they did an amazing job under extremely challenging circumstances.’
Hundreds of post on social media also reported incidents happening across Merseyside.
Cars and people out walking were targeted with eggs and fireworks as they went about their business.
A bus carrying vulnerable adults, many in wheelchairs, was pelted with eggs on Blackmoor Drive in West Derby early in the evening.
One witness on Facebook said: ‘Just come out of Queens Court Road onto Blackmoor Drive, going towards Yew Tree Lane and my bus carrying vulnerable adults in wheelchairs has just been egged twice.
Another victim of Mischief Night, told the ECHO that his car was hit with an egg on Church Road in Haydock as he drove past Tesco at around 5pm.
Other posts stated that New Ferry, Queens Drive, Longmoor Lane, Liscard Road and Poulton Road also suffered countless incidents throughout the night.