A DISPERAL order was issued during the seafront chaos which saw a “number of flashpoints”, Essex Police say.

Last night, officers were called to a large disturbance in Southend, where hundreds of teenagers descended to the seafront – on the same day Home Secretary Suella Braverman visited Leigh.

Videos and pictures on social media showed “gangs” running amok in “scary scenes”.

READ MORE >> ‘Scary' scenes on Southend seafront as ‘gangs cause chaos' forcing businesses to shut

Traders were forced to close early and compared the chaos to a “war zone” as disorder broke out.

Essex Police has since responded following the incident and said they put a dispersal order in place to ensure the safety of the public.

All people involved were moved on shortly before 9pm. 

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We were called to a disturbance which was taking place shortly after 4.20pm yesterday, Tuesday, August 1.

“As officers attempted to engage with the group, there were a number of flashpoints, but thankfully no serious incidents took place.

“A dispersal order was put in place to ensure the safety of the public and we worked alongside colleagues from Southend-on-Sea City Council and British Transport Police to ensure the situation remained under control.

“All elements of the group had dispersed by shortly before 9pm and there were no further incidents of disorder.

“One teenage girl was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and a public order offence. She has been released under investigation.”

To date, Operation Union has seen up to 26 officers per day on duty in the Union zone in Southend.

Essex Police say this has resulted in 39 arrests being made and 184 stop and searches being carried out, with more than 45% of those resulting in an item, such as a weapon, being seized.

Chief Supt Waheed Khan, south local police area commander, added: “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 [Wednesday] and in the coming days.

“We have strong working partnership with all our partners, including local businesses, which allows us deploy our resources most effectively across the city.

“It is important to note that crime is falling in Southend, with a 6.7% decrease in the last year. We’re also solving more crimes, with a 4.2% increase in the same time period.”