Chaos as Easter holiday trend wreaks violent havoc on UK high streets

There are fears of a nationwide outbreak of teenagers rampaging through Britain’s shops and supermarkets after a spate of Easter holiday “linkups” were fuelled by social media posts. Police have demanded parents take responsibility for their out-of-control children after four officers were attacked by a mob who left shoppers and staff petrified when they descended en masse in a swish south west London suburb last Saturday and again on Tuesday. That came after a gathering exploded in Birmingham last Friday as school kids flocked to the city centre on the last day of term causing shops to shut as police fought to control the crowd.

Hooded youths were seen hurtling through the streets, fighting each other, swarming on shops and fast-food restaurants with videos posted on social media showing arrests being made in the streets. West Midlands Police were also forced to issue a 36-hour dispersal order in Solihull town centre on Tuesday due to “a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour”, including reports of children and teenagers causing criminal damage. TikTok videos and comments from people present suggested these “linkups” are loosely pre-arranged via social media.

That led to more than 300 youths – many masked – gathering on Clapham Common basketball courts before swarming the High Street to steal from shops, attack police and fight amongst themselves – as terrified families barricaded themselves inside supermarkets.

Six teenage girls, including two aged 13, have been arrested for offences including theft and assaulting an emergency worker.

The carnage saw Marks and Spencer on the high street looted by the flash mob and forced to close its doors, whilst elderly shoppers and families were ushered to safety. a local Waitrose store also closed along with a nearby McDonald’s and Sainsbury’s.

The Met said four police officers and one member of the public had been assaulted, as they promised a “zero tolerance” approach over the Bank Holiday weekend, including the use of dispersal orders.

The force urged youngsters and their parents to “think of the consequences” of taking part and vowed to carry out more arrests – with detectives scouring CCTV to identify offenders.

But there are fears the widespread promotion of the carnage could spark copycat incidents across the UK with schools now on a two-week break.

In response Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary and Tory MP for Croydon South, demanded “surge policing”.

He said: “This is straight up criminality and there should be mass arrests. There is no excuse for this appalling behaviour – which intimidates the law-abiding majority and causes huge losses for shops.

“We need urgent surge policing deployed into this area accompanied by widespread stop and search to take drugs and knives off the streets. Police should also immediately deploy live facial recognition there to catch wanted criminals who may be circulating in the mob.’

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the scenes in his increasingly lawless city as “appalling”.

Det Ch Supt Emma Bond, who leads policing in Clapham, said: “I’d urge those young people who think this is just a bit of fun to carefully consider the consequences. Events like this, fuelled by online trends and viral content on platforms such as TikTok, can quickly escalate and lead to serious outcomes.

“If you join in or cause further disorder, you should expect to be arrested and risk a criminal record, which can have long-lasting consequences for your future, including employment opportunities and potentially your ability to travel.”

The senior officer vowed to make arrests but also appealed to parents to intervene to stop the new craze, adding: “I’d appeal to them to take responsibility – to be proactive in knowing where their children are and who they’re with, and to take steps to make sure they’re not involved in this sort of unacceptable antisocial behaviour.”