Police Granted Section 60 As Almost 100 Arrests Made On First Day Of Notting Hill Carnival

26 August 2019, 07:14 | Updated: 26 August 2019, 08:27

Police have been granted extra powers to stop and search people attending the Notting Hill Carnival.

A section 60 order has been put in place for the area of the carnival and parts of Harrow Road, Scotland Yard has said.

Notting Hill Carnival gold commander Dave Musker said the order was granted because of "incidents of violence" across London in recent days.

He added: "I have not made this decision lightly but it is the police's job to ensure the security of all those planning to attend this event."

It comes as almost 100 people were arrested during the first day of the Notting Hill Carnival for drugs offences and assaulting police officers.

The Met Police have said 97 people have been arrested for offences including assaults on police officers, possession of offensive weapons and drugs offences as festival-goers enjoyed a scorching first day of the bank holiday carnival.

Eleven officers need medical attention after being reportedly injured, with a dozen people arrested on suspicion of assaulting police.

41 people were arrested for drug offences, nine for possession of an offensive weapon, and three for sexual offences.

Last year, two people were stabbed during the carnival weekend and 45 police officers were injured.

Officers said an increase in screening arches, which are used to detect weapons, had been a "fantastic deterrent".

Revellers enjoying the festival were able to soak up what has been the hottest late August bank holiday weekend on record.

The Met Office confirmed the new record temperature of 33.3C in west London, beating the previous record of 31.5C from 2001.

Last month, the UK's highest ever temperature was recorded in Cambridge at 38.7C.