Police are investigating a video showing officers lashing out at a group of young girls with a baton and Tasers in a fierce brawl in Rotherham.

South Yorkshire Police said the footage was 'nothing short of shocking' as they launched a probe into the incident.

The footage was shared on social media over the weekend, with viewers accusing the officers of using undue force against the teenage girls.

The clip shows an officer arguing with a group, telling them: 'You are being dispersed for a breach of the peace.'

One of the girls starts to push a policeman, who then shoves her backwards with force, causing her to stumble.

The officer pushes another two of the girls, who respond by walking towards him and shouting angrily in his face.

A bystander then accuses the policeman of 'squaring up to the girls'.

As more people surround him, the officer furiously pulls out his baton and launches it towards the group.

Two of the girls tried to wrestle the baton from him, but he wriggled free and caused one girl to fall onto the road.

The man filming the action screams: 'He has got the baton. What are they doing?' 

He then stood with his baton raised and forcefully shoved another girl away.

At this point, another officer was pushed by one of the group and appeared to respond aggressively by punching her and shoving her backwards, causing her to fall on the ground.

Two officers dressed in black then arrived and pointed Tasers towards the group, ordering people to 'get back'.

South Yorkshire Police said: 'The short clip on social media of the police response to an incident in Rotherham over the weekend appears nothing short of shocking.

'Our PSD are reviewing this and all available footage, including Body Worn Video, of the full response to the 999 call to understand what happened before, during, and after what is publicly available.

'Their assessment will inform our next steps. At South Yorkshire Police, we want our officers to be professional and their actions to be lawful, proportionate, and fair. '