Police broke up the gathering after neighbours complained
Youths gathered in a communal area at the end of Ellis Court in St Ann’s(Image: Nottingham Post/ Joel Moore)
Hundreds of youths flooded into a quiet Nottingham neighbourhood where car boot speakers blared music in a “concert like” street party.
Residents in Ellis Court, St Ann’s, said young people gathered at one end of the street, drinking and inhaling laughing gas on the evening of Wednesday, April 8.
Police eventually broke up the party at around 9.30pm and issued a dispersal order – meaning those identified could face arrest if they return to the area within 48 hours.
The response came just moments after police were contacted by concerned Bestwood residents over hundreds of young people turning up to a football match at Southglade Leisure Centre.
Nobody was arrested in relation to either incident.
Nikita Shaw, who lives in Ellis Court with her seven-year-old son, described the evening as a “nightmare”.
“Two cars pulled up with speakers in the boots. At first it wasn’t too bad. Then throughout the day more and more people showed up, taxis were dropping people off,” recalled the 26-year-old.
“It might as well have been a concert. Most of them were minors but they had gas canisters.
“There were arguments and fights were breaking out.”
Ms Shaw said police officers first turned up at 6pm but decided not to take action, before returning later in the evening when they cleared off the youths.
“I wouldn’t have minded if it was a few kids with a speaker but it was masses and masses of people,” she said.
Litter including empty bottles were left in the surrounding area(Image: Nottingham Post/ Joel Moore)
“It p***** everyone off to be honest. It was horrific. For [my son] to be only seven and seeing really, really inappropriate stuff.”
Ms Shaw said she and other parents were left to clean up the mess the next morning, sweeping up broken glass and picking up litter where their kids play.
A 75-year-old man, who wished to remain anonymous, said the street was “jam-packed” during the party.
“People were everywhere. They had balloons and were leaving bottles around,” he said.
“They weren’t causing much trouble. They were smoking weed, filling up balloons, but they weren’t bad.
“They weren’t rioting or fighting but the music was dead loud. I couldn’t hear the telly at all.”
Another man, aged 72, said there were around 150 to 200 people in attendance, many of whom were drinking vodka and blowing on balloons.
“They weren’t causing trouble or anything like that. People phoned the police up,” he said.
“No-one around here would stand for it. That will be the first and that will be the last. It won’t happen again.”
Neighbourhood Inspector Stephen Dalby, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We understand that people want to socialise together and enjoy themselves, especially when the weather is nice.
“However, we ask that those involved in large gatherings have respect and keep in mind the concern it may cause within the local community.
“This includes especially loud music which can impact those who may be more vulnerable in the area.
“Our officers were quick to respond to these reports and rightfully issued a dispersal order to ensure nothing escalated.”
The two incidents across Nottingham in recent days both bear striking similarities to the chaos caused by ‘link-ups’ in parts of London, including Clapham. The meets are a growing online trend encouraging large groups to meeting at a particular time and place.
The size of the gatherings means they often lead to anti-social behaviour, and are particularly stressful for innocent bystanders.
