Mass brawl breaks out at Ogmore-by-Sea beach in Wales
26 June 2020, 11:49
Mass brawl breaks out on Ogmore By Sea beach, Wales
A mass brawl broke out on the shoreline after a large crowd gathered at Ogmore-by-Sea in Wales, causing anger from local residents and prompting a stark warnings by officials.
The Welsh First Minister has warned that quarantine restrictions will not continue to be eased in Wales if large gatherings and similar scenes continue.
Mark Drakeford's comments come after videos appeared on social media which showed large crowds and a fight breaking out Ogmore-by-Sea, Vale of Glamorgan on Thursday evening.
South Wales Police said two men in their twenties had been detained following the incident at around 8:00pm.
The First Minister said if the behaviour continued his government would not ease restrictions.
Writing on Twitter today about the incident, Mr Drakford said: "We will not be able to continue easing restrictions if scenes like last night continue to happen.
"They threaten the health of people in Wales and undermine the sacrifices the majority of people have made during this ongoing crisis."
South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael said people were "completely ignoring the risk to public health" and described the incident at Ogmore as a "contagion of stupidity".
Local residents reported seeing hundreds of people drinking, complaining of smashed bottles, people urinating and defecating everywhere.
South Wales Police told parents to "check where your children are" after the videos of the brawl were shared on social media.
Crowds of people were also reported partying in Barry Island and beaches in Swansea.
Yesterday was one of the hottest days of the year and thousands of people flocked to the coastline.
Fight breaks out on Welsh beach
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council declared a "major incident" after thousands of beachgoers caused havoc. There were reports of antisocial behaviour, traffic gridlock and littering.
Council leader Vikki Slade told LBC News today: "People on the beach were only part of the problem. It was the behaviour of those people.
"They used people's gardens as toilets and car parks, blocking their access and using roundabouts to park cars.
"The amount of litter they have taken off the beach this morning is just awful, the impact that has on our local environment is dreadful.
"We also saw antisocial behaviour from some people, violence, fights, drug-taking - that's not welcome at all.
"That's why we needed all the other agencies to step in and help us collectively."
