CITY’S ‘CRAZY’ WEEKEND
CARDIFF DESCRIBED AS ‘CRAZY’ WITH ‘PEOPLE EVERYWHERE’ AFTER VISITORS FLOCK TO CITY FROM LOCKED DOWN AREAS OF UK
CARDIFF city centre was described as being “crazy” with “people everywhere” as people flocked there on Sunday on another tense night in the capital.
The crowds have been blamed on people from other parts of the UK in lockdown travelling to the city because shops and pubs are open, unlike in other places.
Police believe people from other parts of the UK “migrated” into the Welsh capital over the weekend as streets were packed with shoppers, and pubs and restaurants were fully booked.
The streets were described as “crazy” compared to a normal weekend. According to pub owners, a number of customers were believed to have come from England, despite the national lockdown still in place there.
Police also believe a number of people in the city centre had travelled from others parts of the UK.
It is also understood that an annual Christmas meeting of travellers from different parts of the UK was held in Cardiff on Sunday. Pictures emerged on Sunday evening of large crowds on St Mary Street, amid warnings from people on social media to avoid the area.
The previous night, a serious violent incident on nearby Queen Street led to six people being taken to hospital with injuries including stab wounds and head injuries.
South Wales Police said that on Sunday officers attended the Castle Arcade area on St Mary Street in the afternoon “following concerns about people refusing to comply with coronavirus regulations.”
A spokeswoman added: “Bar staff stated that the individuals left prior to police arrival.”
One person said they were asked to leave the Christmas attraction at Cardiff Castle early because of the numbers of people in the area.
Brooklyn Pritchard, 27, said security staff closed the Christmas attraction at the castle at around 4.45pm on Sunday. Brooklyn, from Pontycymer, said she had been at the venue for around 15 minutes with her partner and daughter when she was told they had minutes to leave.
She said: “[People] were everywhere. They had their masks off, they were all acting as if they didn’t really care. We ordered a Yorkshire pudding wrap and as we were eating it a security guard came over and said they were closing in nine minutes.”
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “A decision was taken to close early on Sunday as it was too busy for scheduled work to dismantle the Ice Walk to continue safely while remaining open.”
Charlotte Barker, who is company director of Gin & Juice in the area, said they had to close early on Sunday because of a number of customers who were refusing to social distance and wear masks.
She said: “It was busy on Friday and Saturday, but we had fantastic customers who kept to the rules.”
But she said that at around 4.30pm on Sunday there were “issues” with people “refusing to wear masks and social distance”.
She said: “We were concerned about the safety of our customers and staff, so the police were called and we took the decision to close early.
“We have spoken to other businesses in the city centre and there were issues. We are all working together and with the police and the local council to make Cardiff city centre as safe as possible for all, so we are hoping that they have now moved on.”
Officers also attended High Street to reports of an assault involving a large number of youths just before 6pm on Sunday.
Two teenage boys described having liquid squirted at them during the incident, which led to concerns that bleach had been used in an attack.
However, the police spokeswoman said: “The liquid was believed to be harmless and neither wished to make a complaint nor engage with officers.”
Lowri Rose-Williams was on her way to work on Sunday afternoon and described a “scary” atmosphere in town. She said: “I was supposed to be walking to work so I asked my boss to walk me as I was so scared. Police vans were everywhere while I was walking with my boss. There were so many people that we had to push through High Street. We were followed by a guy that shouted ‘I want to sell you drugs’ until we got to work. It was a very scary situation.”
A diner in Cardiff city centre described how busy it was.
He said: “It was packed. Even though the weather wasn’t the best I was amazed at how many people were out and about on the streets. I had a table booked in a restaurant and struggled to walk down Mill Lane for the crowds. The pubs and restaurants seemed well-managed. With no walkin trade you had to have booked everywhere and I’m not sure everyone understood that.”
Meanwhile, a number of caravans were pictured parked up in the car park of the Barry Waterfront retail park yesterday morning.
The area is private land and they had moved on by the afternoon.
A spokesman for the Vale of Glamorgan council said: “Travellers were occupying a car park on Barry waterfront but understand they have now moved on.”
The issues on Sunday are not linked to the violent disorder in Cardiff on Saturday night that left six people injured, including three with stab wounds and one person with a head injury.
Four teenagers, aged 16 and 17, all from the Cardiff area, were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in connection with the incident and remain in police custody.