The Red Dragon in the middle of the estate was ransacked

Police say they are surprised that a racially-motivated riot flared on a north Wales estate - but the local MP says local people had raised concerns about asylum seekers.

There are appeals for calm as efforts are made to reduce tension in the Caia Park area of Wrexham.

Nine arrests have been made so far and more are expected after Sunday night's violence.

Police said there were two separate clashes in the Caia Park area involving weapons such as sticks and billiard cues.

Chief Supt Steve Curtis, of North Wales Police, said it was a complete surprise.

I was scared, I'm stood trembling now. There were kids on the street. You're not safe in your own backyard anymore Unnamed Caia Park resident

The Iraqis involved had lived on the estate for a year, he said, and there had never been trouble before.

Mr Curtis said Sunday's events were isolated and assured local people that police and others would work to ensure there was no repeat.

But local MP Ian Lucas said there had been "straws in the wind which may have given some indication of this".

Mr Lucas said a number of constituents had raised the asylum seeker issue with him in the past six months, and he had arranged a meeting with the police to discuss it.

"What we need to do now is to have a closer look at what support there is on the ground, establish exactly who is there and have a highly visible police presence in the area," said Mr Lucas.

Officers were called to the first incident on the estate's Prince Charles Avenue at 1955 BST on Sunday.

One man was arrested and another was taken to hospital with a head injury.

But around an hour later officers were again called after reports that windows had been smashed at the Red Dragon pub, in the centre of the estate.

The pub was ransacked.

North Wales Police officers combing the area for clues

This was a larger disturbance involving up to 40 men aged between 20 and 30 but police say the situation was quickly brought under control.

Of the six men arrested so far, four were believed to be Kurdish-Iraqis, and two from Wrexham. A seventh man has been released on police bail.

Eirian Jones, who lives on the estate said: " It was like Beirut here."

"It was haywire. I was on the pub wall and about 40 people came over shouting. It was like watching gangs on television."

Another man who did not wish to be named but was in the pub said: "I was scared, I'm stood trembling now. There were kids on the street. You're not safe in your own backyard anymore."

Isobel Garnder, Wrexham council's chief executive, said: "We are working very closely with the police to understand the reasons for them and the action we need to take to reduce immediate tensions in the area.

"In the meantime we would ask for people living in the area to remain calm.

"We will be working closely with local communities and our partner agencies to achieve this as well as seeing what lessons we can learn for the future," she said.

Officers are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 0845 6071001/2.