Brawl breaks out at popular Peak District beauty spot as people whack each other with sticks and branches
29 July 2024, 08:27 | Updated: 29 July 2024, 13:13
A huge brawl broke out at a popular beauty spot in the Peak District over the weekend with visitors attacking each other with large sticks and branches.
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The fight broke out at the famous Dovedale Stepping Stones in the Derbyshire national park on Saturday afternoon.
Footage from the incident has been circulated on social media.
In the videos, people can be seen hitting each other with large sticks as others watch on and try to break it up.
According to Derbyshire Police, they were called to the scene over an altercation between two groups.
The caller reported a child in his party had been hit during the disturbance and an attempt was made to steal his wife’s purse.
The National Trust have been approached for comment.
Good Morning @YvetteCooperMP it appears people are brawling and smacking each other with large tree branches at Dovedale Stepping Stones in the Peak District. Should families avoid the area? Best put some signs up saying please do not behave that way, as it's not normal. pic.twitter.com/dJjHCdS6MR
— MrBounceBack.com (@Bounce_BackLoan) July 29, 2024
A 25-year-old man told the MailOnline: "We were at the Stepping Stones and there was a bloke trying to cross it.
"There was one guy with a pushchair wanting to come across and all of a sudden it all kicked off.
"They were shouting at each other for a while before they started fighting and then they began picking up sticks.
"There were families there and children watching on."
A spokesperson for Derbyshire Police said: “We received a call just before 2.40pm on Saturday 27 July to report an altercation between two groups at Dovedale Stepping Stones, near Tissington in the Peak District.
“The caller reported that a child in his party had been hit during the disturbance and that an attempt was made to steal his wife’s purse.
“We are aware of a video of the incident circulating online and there were a large number of people in the area at the time of the incident, who may have information that could help with our enquiries.
“We’d urge anyone who witnessed the incident, or with further information to contact Derbyshire Police quoting reference 24447479.
A national trust spokesperson said: “An incident occurred at the Stepping Stones in Dovedale this weekend as two groups of walkers attempted to cross the stepping stones in opposite directions.
"The situation was resolved quickly but we understand that disturbances of this kind can be upsetting for visitors. We would urge people to treat each other respectfully when exploring the countryside.
“We’d also like to remind visitors that the Stepping Stones are currently closed because of storm damage and signs are in place asking visitors not to use them. Derbyshire County Council have confirmed that repairs to the stones are due to start soon.”
Dovedale Stepping Stones are located at the base of Thorpe Cloud, a peak in the national park.
The stepping stones form the county boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
The National Trust acquired the stones in 1934 and they became part of a a National Nature Reserve in 2006.
