Shocking moment brawl breaks out on beach branded ‘worst place on Earth’ as witnesses say it’s like a ‘war zone’
THIS is the shocking moment a brawl broke out on a beach branded the “worst place on earth”.
Terrifying video shows gangs of teens clashing with police on Southend seafront at 4pm yesterday as terrified beachgoers watched on.
It comes after tourists previously slammed the beach as the “worst place on Earth” and told other visitors to “stay away” after encountering raw sewage, drug addicts and litter there.
Witnesses to yesterday’s event say the beach was like a “war zone” with teens dressed in “black mouth coverings” and “balaclavas”.
One witness told the Basildon Echo: “It was terrible. Police were everywhere and there were hundreds of young teenagers.
“I was just driving along the seafront, but there was no way I was stopping. It was too dangerous.
“Even though there were many police cars, on foot, and vans, there was no where near enough to cope. It was frightening. It was really bad.”
Cops say one teenage girl was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and a public order offence. She has been released under investigation.
Chief Superintendent Waheed Khan, South Local Police Area Commander, said: “We are acutely aware that this incident will have caused concern among the public, both those who witnessed it directly and those who may have seen images and videos circulating on social media.
“Incidents such as this are very rare in Southend, and it is exactly why we have Operation Union in place, so we can respond quickly to incidents as they happen, as we did in this case.
“Those who will have seen the footage will have seen a robust policing response to a challenging situation.
“It is important to note although officers were dealing with a large group of people, there were no reports of serious incident or serious injuries.
“One teenage girl was arrested, and she has been released under investigation.
“We are, of course, aware incidents such as this will have an impact on businesses and the importance of the summer months to them.
“I can assure them there will continue to be an appropriate policing presence in the city today and in the coming days.”