Carnage reported at UK festival campsites over the Bank Holiday weekend

With the summer in full flow and festival season slowly drawing to a close, it seems the hysteria of partying under the sun may have gotten too much for some festivalgoers. 

Reading and Leeds festivals, in particular, saw concentrated disruption, with several reports of violence and destruction to property. 

Armed police were called to Reading Festival on Sunday night following reports of chairs and tents set alight, looting and violence. Thames Valley Police’s armed response officers were on-hand to detain a suspect, immediately removing them from the festival site. 

As reported in Mail Online, ‘hooded youths’ ran through the campsites at Reading and Leeds Festival, burning chairs and abandoned tents. The witness alleged that some festivalgoers were still inside their tents as the revellers lit them up.

Festivalgoers say the fires commended at around 16:00 on Sunday, continuing to worsen into nightfall and well into the early hours. Videos on social media show several blazes burning as explosions could be heard throughout the camp.

 Fire crews were left to battle the small infernos as scared festivalgoers tried to leave the scene. Sadly, at the same time, limited security forces were also left struggling to retain order as crowds threw chairs and other objects into large bonfires. 

Sadly, it has also emerged that a 16-year-old boy died at Leeds Festival after allegedly taking an ecstasy pill.  

Chaos also broke out at Reading Festival, with videos showing fires burning throughout the festival’s campsite. Eyewitnesses claim fans of rival music genres fought each other as festivalgoers clashed after different acts performed on the same stage after one another. 

An undeniably horrifying end to one of the UK’s most popular festival weekenders; let’s hope its the last we hear of any behaviour of this kind at festivals over this summer and beyond.