Four extra armed response units are in Luton to deal with expected "further violence", police say.

BBC: Armed officers in Marsh Farm, Luton

Mr Nichols said that despite the extra calls, response times in Oxfordshire remained well above the government target but the service was struggling in Berkshire and other parts of the region.

BBC: South Central Ambulance Service fails to hit target

But there has also been some fiscal easing this year, first from President George Bush's tax-cut plan, which included tax rebates sent to taxpayers over the summer, and then from the extra spending approved by Congress in response to the war on terrorism.

ECONOMIST: That sinking feeling | The