Large crowds of young people have caused fresh chaos on Clapham High Street, just days after dozens of teenagers stormed shops and clashed with police. On Tuesday, shops were forced to close and families barricaded themselves inside a supermarket as groups of youths “terrorised” the neighbourhood again.
An M&S security guard told the Daily Mail he had to lock shoppers in for a short while before allowing them to be escorted out by police. “We had to lock shoppers in, at 8.15pm we let them out one by one with police and security holding the doors shut and escorting them out,” he said. “Shoppers were very scared. There was one lady with a pram and a baby. She was terrified but police escorted her to safety.”
The mob also targeted a nearby Boots “very badly” and a local Waitrose displayed a “police advised” closure notice on its front door. Footage shared online showed large groups of young people gathering outside a McDonald’s restaurant with police on the scene. There were also reports of some people attempting to start fires on Clapham Common.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “Police are responding to an ongoing incident on Clapham High Street following reports of a large crowd of young people causing anti-social behaviour. Officers are on the scene, and a dispersal order has been put in place. At this time two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.”
The trouble follows similar scenes on Saturday, when two 16-year-old girls and one 15-year-old girl were arrested for shoplifting and assault after chaos erupted on the same high street. Footage from that incident showed screaming teenagers pushing each other and knocking food off shelves at a Marks and Spencer store.
