Edinburgh Bonfire Night: 'Miracle that no-one was hurt in disorder' says Cammy Day

But he called for tougher sentences for people involved is causing fear and alarm to communities and renewed his plea for a complete ban on the sale of fireworks to members of the public.

Groups of youths threw bricks and fireworks at police

On Tuesday night, groups of youths attacked police and other emergency services with bricks and fireworks. Police have vowed to hunt down those responsible bring them to justice.

But Councillor Day said: “I’m angry and disappointed that we witnessed yet more alarming and dangerous behaviour by a mindless minority last night.

“Once again, our Police Scotland and Lothian Bus colleagues were deliberately targeted and, frankly, it’s a miracle that no one was hurt. I fear it’s only a matter of time until someone is seriously injured or worse.

“When you also consider the huge disruption this behaviour causes to our road network and other services – over 7,500 Lothian bus customers were impacted last night alone – we simply cannot allow this to continue. And I know our communities feel the same.

I do want to praise the police whose measured approach undoubtedly prevented a repeat of the worst of last year’s scenes. But, as last night showed, the problem isn’t going away and we need to take a different tack if we’re going to stamp this out once and for all.

“We all have a part to play and I met this morning with police, fire, bus, youth work and other colleagues to discuss next steps, with a particular focus on community work, early intervention and prevention.

“Alongside this, I am today repeating my calls for a complete ban on the public sale of fireworks and stronger penalties for those who inflict fear and alarm in our communities. There has to be consequences for behaving like this and I will be writing to the Lord Advocate and both the UK and Scottish Governments to call for urgent change.”

He paid tribute to the police, emergency services, Lothian Buses, council officers, including waste staff who worked into the early hours to deal with the aftermath of the disorder and praised the community for their “steadfastness”.

And he sad the police had confirmed to him that comprehensive investigations were already underway into what happened on Tuesday night, “with their best detectives working on bringing the perpetrators to justice”. He added: “This can’t come quickly enough.”

Chief Superintendent David Robertson, Police Scotland’s divisional commander for Edinburgh, reiterated his pledge to bring the culprits to justice.

He said: “I made it clear following the incidents on Halloween that we would leave no stone unturned as part of our investigations and I am reaffirming that statement today.

“Law-abiding members of the public living in Niddrie, Calder Road, Gracemount and Moredun were left terrified as serious disorder took place in their communities, whilst vital bus services that allow safe travel across our city were violently attacked. This is entirely unacceptable.

“I am enormously grateful and immensely proud of all of the officers and staff who contributed to Operation Moonbeam. Colleagues worked tirelessly behind the scenes and on the front line, putting themselves in harm’s way to restore order and return these areas to a state of normality as quickly as possible.

“Since Halloween we have made six arrests, conducted five house searches, and seized two vehicles. The work begins now to identify all those responsible and bring them to justice swiftly.

“If members of the public have information or evidence that can help with our inquiries then please contact us immediately.”