Southend: shocking footage showed thugs armed with machetes

One stabbing victim was airlifted to hospital as chaos unfolded on the seafront and High Street, forcing businesses to close early as Essex Police attempted to clear the area.

Shocking footage showed four men - all dressed in black and wielding large knives - involved in a fight on Marine Parade, just metres away from Adventure Island, while yobs armed with weapons were also spotted in the High Street.

Tension - Hooded thugs wield machetes on Southend seafront (Image: Twitter)

Startling videos posted to social media showed the gang fighting with machetes, as children screamed on the rides in Adventure Island in the background. Eight people were arrested and at least seven weapons seized by police as the disturbing scenes played out on Tuesday night.

According to shocking reports, Greggs in the High Street was looted by thugs, trees and plants on Pier Hill were set on fire and teenagers openly used drugs on the seafront and in the city centre.

Tension began to mount on the seafront in the afternoon as traders described “hundreds” of teenagers arriving, before the violence broke out in the evening as Essex Police issued a dispersal order in a bid to clear the crowds.

Blades - Violence in the High Street (Image: Twitter)

Natasha Hayley Branch, 25, fled the city after “enjoying a day on the beach with her partner”. She said: “I noticed a lot of these teenagers were smoking cannabis, drinking alcohol, and inhaling nitrous oxide.

“When walking away from the beach, I saw girls smashing glass alcohol bottles near the children’s fountains where children were playing.

“I saw police trying to de-escalate a disturbance near Adventure Island, followed by a team of cars and dog units approaching with blue lights.

“As we walked up Pier Hill, I saw black smoke. Trees and plants at the top of Pier Hill were on fire, and people were trying to put it out with jugs of water. Walking through town, I could see groups of teens still on their way down to the seafront.

“Some children were wearing full black tracksuits, covering their faces with balaclavas, and we even saw a child, who looked about 13, wearing a stab/bulletproof vest. I was just so upset and angry, I felt like crying.

“My home was being ruined with litter, drugs, broken glass, fires and kids fighting in the street, where it should be a family-friendly area.”