Punch-up at the Peppa Pig parade
Mother in her fifties taken to hospital after row at Hamleys Christmas event
A MIDDLE-AGED mother was rushed to hospital after being knocked to the ground in a punch-up with a woman at the Hamleys Christmas toy parade.
A “meet-and-greet” with children’s character Peppa Pig was scrapped at the last minute amid fears youngsters in the 800,000-strong crowd packing Regent Street risked being crushed. Witnesses called the event a shambles.
The woman in her fifties was spotted on the ground in distress by a Hamleys employee, who alerted paramedics. She was taken to hospital by ambulance and kept in overnight. Police were called at 1pm on Sunday and are appealing for witnesses.
Children’s favourites including Postman Pat and Fireman Sam joined the annual parade, which had zones along the street for meet-and-greet sessions.
Richard Cook, 35, who travelled from Ruislip with his three-year-old daughter, said: “It was absolute chaos — there were people falling over, kids were being crushed against fencing. Things began getting heated and parents started pushing and shoving. A fight broke out because people were getting frustrated — it’s like mob mentality.”
Another parent, Chhavi Shukla, wrote online: “We had no idea what we could do other than hold on tight to our kids and be pushed around in the crowd. Shame on Hamleys as a company to organise so irresponsibly and play with kids’ emotions in the name of toys.” Elisabeth Arricale Poyiadzis claimed her one-year-old daughter ended up “face down” on the ground after falling from her father’s shoulders as the crowd surged. She added: “Can you imagine turning around to see your baby on the floor with crowds of people all around not caring, just still trying to push and get past and seeing it as an opportunity to make their way further forward?”
Hamleys said it was forced to shut the Peppa Pig zone after the woman was injured. It said: “We had unprecedented crowd numbers. We had to bring an ambulance in to take her out. But because they had to close a small area it created traffic flow issues, so with police advice we chose to restrict or curtail some of the activities. We apologise if this decision impacted any visitor experience of this annual spectacle.”
The Met said: “Police were called to reports of an altercation outside Hamleys on Regent Street. A woman, in her fifties, was punched before collapsing.”