University of Kent exchange students have been flown home from Hong Kong amid an escalation in violence between protesters and police.

Some anti-government demonstrators, who have been holed up in the city's Polytechnic University for four days, have been using petrol bombs as they try to fend off riot police.

KMTV with the latest on life in Hong Kong

There are reports 1,100 people involved have already been arrested.

Dr Anthony Manning, Dean for internationalisation at the University of Kent, spoke with many of those out in Hong Kong and encouraged them to come home for their own safety.

Speaking about the situation facing students, he told KMTV: "They knew that the activity was not directed to them, but it was more the collateral damage of being in the street at the wrong time.

"There's quite a lot of tear gas in the atmosphere because of the activities in certain locations and some violence and many of our students have experienced that or skirmishes going past them in the street or on campus.

"We were concerned that would get worse and therefore wanted them to come home for safety concerns."

Dr Anthony Manning said the university could not force students to come home, but given the fears of growing violence it had offered to pay for their flight tickets to try and encourage them.

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