London, Jun 26 (IANS): UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the "appalling" scenes in in south London where 22 police officers were injured and police cars smashed up when they tried to break up an "unlicensed" street party.

A spokesman for Johnson said on Thursday that the UK government would shortly be launching a consultation on doubling the maximum sentence for assaulting an emergency worker, reports Xinhua news agency.

"These were appalling scenes. Violence against the police will not be tolerated," the spokesman said.

"We have been clear that anyone who assaults the police or any of our emergency service workers who keep us safe should feel the full force of the law," he said.

Scotland Yard said officers were confronted by a "hostile" crowd on Wednesday night as they tried to break up the "block party" on Overton Road, Brixton.

Footage of the chaotic scene shows men jumping on a police car and smashing the windows.

A number of police vehicles were damaged while two officers required hospital treatment for their injuries, the Met Police said.

Four people, who were arrested on Thursday for assault and public order offences, remain in police custody.

Earlier in the day, Home Secretary Priti Patel described the images as "utterly vile scenes", saying that she would be speaking to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick.

The trouble flared at what police described the "unlicensed" music event which started on Wednesday afternoon and ran into the early hours of Thursday morning.