Nigel Farage has decried crime and the justice system as “out of control” and demanded that more prisons be built after a violent lout who threw cement at him in a terrifying attack avoided jail.

The Reform UK leader was angry that Josh Greally was only given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to throwing a coffee cup at Mr Farage’s battle bus in Barnsley during the General Election.

The Derbyshire 28-year-old’s six-week jail term was suspended for 12 months, meaning he will not serve any time in prison and will instead complete 120 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity days.

However, the six-week prison sentence can be activated should he offend again in the next 12 months.

Mr Farage said it was a “very dangerous, provocative, violent thing for this guy to do”.

But the Clacton MP compared Greally’s punishment with those jailed for offensive social media posts during the recent UK riots.

“You see, in Keir Starmer’s Britain, if you put something intemperate on Facebook after a couple of glasses of wine, he would have gone to prison,” said Mr Farage.

“And that’s the mess we’re in. Can you believe in the year to March, 147,000 people guilty of carrying knives, some have sexual offences, have been given community orders.

“Our prisons are full. We’re letting people out who are violent offenders to put Facebook offenders, thought speech – some of it not very nice, I’ll accept – to chuck them in prison for a short period of time.

“Law and order, crime is out of control. We’re even allowing people to do shoplifting up to £200 without being prosecuted. You simply couldn’t make it up.”

In a speech this week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke out after it was revealed the number of available prison places plunged to just 100 as the jail overcrowding crisis worsened.

Sir Keir said it was crucial to lock up rioters to send a powerful message that public disorder in the wake of the Southport stabbings would not be tolerated.

An early-release scheme brought in by the Government is letting free some criminals who have served 40 percent of their sentences, instead of the usual 50 percent, to reduce the logjam.

It is expected to result in 5,500 offenders being released in September and October but does not apply to those convicted of sex offences, terrorism, domestic abuse and some violent crimes.

Mr Farage said: “I’ve got a feeling that all of you out there, regardless of what age you are, are increasingly concerned going out of an evening, walking around our streets, catching public transport.

“We have to build more prisons. We have to make those that are violent, we have to make those that threaten our society pay some kind of price.

“Without deterrence, this can only get worse.”