Families 'barricaded inside shops' as terrorising youths force London high street into lockdown

George Bunn
Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:13:42 +0000

Crowds of young people terrorising the streets of an affluent London neighbourhood with families left barricaded inside shops.

Videos posted on social media have shown crowds of teenagers running through Clapham in south London, forcing businesses into lockdown.

Some suggested teens were told to "link up" in the Lambeth neighbourhood.

Eyewitnesses said officers have been turning away shoppers, with all stores in the area shut.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

Fires could be spotted burning on nearby Clapham Common as emergency services attended to put them out, sending smoke billowing into the air.

Mohammed, a security guard for M&S, told the Mail: "Police warned us there would be chaos so we prepared for it because of what happened last Saturday. There were loads of kids sprinting and shouting and police advised all the shops to close for one hour."

"We had to lock shoppers in, at 8.15pm we let them out one by one with police and and security holding the doors shut and escorting them out. Shoppers were very scared. There was one lady with a pram and a baby. She was terrified but police escorted her to safety."

A Met spokesman told GB News: "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, meaning anyone congregating must leave the area. At this time two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. They have been taken to custody. Officers will remain in the area to offer support and respond to any concerns from local residents and businesses."

Leader of the London Conservatives Susan Hall told The Telegraph: "As every month goes by we see increasing bad behaviour, from blatant shoplifting to the rampaging through shopping areas in London.

"It appears to be because all these hooligans know they can get away with it.

"Until we have a police force that is given proper resources with many more officers, not less as we are now witnessing in the Met, we can expect lawlessness to increase.

"Sadiq Khan should stop spending money on ‘nice to haves’ and start concentrating his enormous budget on keeping Londoners safe."

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Man slapped with £1,000 ‘fly-tipping’ fine after leaving envelope on top of overflowing bin

Adil Ray defends London borough amid 'no-go zone' claims: 'More likely to get married than mugged!'

Iran spy ring 'generating propaganda' in London, Labour warned

Footage showed a large gathering on Saturday initially meeting up at the nearby netball and basketball courts before running out on to the streets as the atmosphere became increasingly chaotic.

Other videos showed crowds running up and down the road past confused onlookers.

One showed a Sainsbury's where a young girl was filmed hitting a police officer and another seen running out of the shop and away from officers.

The chaotic scenes took place on the first day of the Easter holidays in London.

Speaking about Saturday's incident, a Met Police spokesman said: "Tackling shoplifting and anti-social behaviour continues to be a priority for the Met, and we're doing more to take action against offenders and support local businesses.

"This proactive approach saw a 44 per cent increase in arrests last year, while shoplifting across London fell by four per cent.

"At around 4.45pm on Saturday, March 28, police responded to reports of a group of around 100 young people causing anti-social behaviour and stealing from a number of businesses on Clapham High Street.

'Officers imposed a dispersal order and made three arrests. Three girls, two aged 16 and one 15-year-old girl, were arrested for shoplifting and assault. They have since been bailed."