Supporters and opponents of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump have clashed in the city of San Diego in California.

Police declared a gathering outside the city’s convention centre unlawful and made 35 arrests, as stones and water bottles were thrown.

‘Fantastic job’

The skirmishes flared as the convention centre emptied following Mr Trump’s rally, and supporters and opponents met in the streets, jeering and heckling each other

Dozens of police officers in riot gear had been deployed to separate them.

Some protesters scaled a wall of the centre to throw water bottles at police.

After ordering the crowds to disperse, police then moved them away from the city’s Gaslamp Quarter.

San Diego’s population is about one-third Latino and hundreds of thousands of people cross the border with Mexico legally each day.

One San Diego protester, Martha McPhail, told the local City News Service: “I am opposed to the hateful, bigoted, racist language of Donald Trump and his arrogance and intolerance.

“I’m for all of our people – all races, sexes, genders, military veterans – and he’s divisive.”

But Trump supporter Riley Hansen defended the controversial businessman.

“My Dad always told me you need a businessman as president. I like his policies,” he told CNS.

The San Diego Police Department said that 35 arrests had been made and there was no damage to property and no injuries reported.

Mr Trump tweeted to the police after the event: “Fantastic job on handling the thugs who tried to disrupt our very peaceful and well attended rally.”

Mr Trump told an earlier rally in Fresno that California had “no drought”, despite the state seeing its driest ever four-year period.

After speaking to farmers who complained of a lack of water for crops, he said: “They don’t understand, nobody understands it. There is no drought. They turn the water out into the ocean.”

The reference appeared to be about water discharged from the Sacramento River into the San Francisco Bay, partly to protect endangered species.

Mr Trump said that if he came to power he would “start opening up the water” and ensure farmers had enough for crops.

The comments sparked some mockery on social media – a number of tweets carried links to Charlton Heston in his role as Moses parting the Red Sea in the 1956 film The Ten Commandments.