This is the moment police rushed onto a packed beach and arrested 'drunk' youngsters before pouring out their booze during a bank holiday weekend of heatwave madness across the UK.
Kent Police Action
Across Kent last weekend, police arrested six people including a teenager for possession of cannabis and another for being drunk and disorderly. On top of this, the force also seized more than 50 canisters of Nitrous Oxide - also known as 'hippy crack' - as well as multiple crates of beer and spirits which were being drunk illegally.
Bodycam footage, shared by Kent Police, captured the chaotic moment that police officers intervened yesterday afternoon to disperse dozens of youngsters from Viking Bay beach in Broadstairs. In the clip, officers can be seen rushing towards the crowds of sunseekers before asking them to move away from the area. The police then approached a young woman drinking on the beach and informed her that there was a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in the area. He then confiscated the booze and was filmed pouring a bottle of rose and what appeared to be a full bottle of Smirnoff vodka onto the sand.
Kent Police were called to the popular tourism destination - which sees thousands of visitors every year - following reports of teenagers drinking in public and criminal damage. Three teenagers were arrested on the beach. This included a teenager for assaulting an emergency worker and being in possession of marijuana, another was arrested for being drunk and disorderly, and a third was arrested for failing to follow a dispersal order.
Scenes Across the UK
Elsewhere across the UK, as the country basked in the hottest May weather on record, there were similar scenes of mayhem as teenagers took to the beach to drink illegally and in many cases take drugs. In Bournemouth on Saturday, youths were pictured inhaling so-called 'hippy crack' while a girl was carried away on a stretcher. The teenage girl was thought to have drunk too many vodka mixers and had to be carted off on a stretcher by paramedics, who struggled to push her across the sand.
Later on, six officers from Dorset Police went onto the beach and apprehended a young man for unknown reasons before escorting him away. He apparently resisted arrest all the way to the promenade before being placed in a police van as bystanders watched on. Police also had to intervene when a group of girls brawled near the Red Arrows simulator. One of the girls appeared to have her hands around another female's neck before the skirmish was diffused.
Meanwhile, teen mobs have threatened a fresh wave of violent 'linkups' across the country after chaos erupted in Brighton, Hackney and Clapham on Monday. Fights also broke out on Seaham beach in Durham and in Southend, Essex, where police were filmed arresting a teenager.
Record Heatwave
The bank holiday weekend saw a record-breaking heat wave across the country with the hottest recorded temperature in May being broken on Monday and surpassed again today. Kew Gardens in south-west London recorded a provisional temperature of 35.1C, beating Monday's 34.8C record-high in the same place. Half-a-dozen amber heat health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be active across much of England until Thursday.
Police Statement
Chief Inspector Ian Swallow from Kent Police said: ‘We knew there would be thousands of visitors across Thanet during the bank holiday weekend and had plans in place to tackle any possible antisocial behaviour head-on. The vast majority of those visitors were respectful and enjoyed their time, however there will always be pockets of incidents. Officers were out in the community meeting and talking to residents, visitors and business owners and we made sure that patrols were deployed across Thanet to ensure that officers were nearby to deal with any disruption that took place. Our plans ensured that crime and disorder was kept to an absolute minimum which is shown by the low number of arrests, and when incidents did arise officers were able to quickly identify those involved. As part of these plans we also worked closely with local councils, businesses and other key organisations to ensure there was a joined-up approach. Kent Police is committed to tackling antisocial behaviour across the county and people who go out of their way to cause issues will be arrested and will face criminal charges if appropriate.’
